Fallout New Origins
by TheIronGiant
Summary: The Courier leaves the Mojave with Cass. He has questions; how far will he go to find the answers. *Temporary Hiatus*
1. Chapter One

Prologue

2281 October 19th: The Courier wakes up in Goodsprings after being shot in the head and buried in a shallow grave. He swears vengeance on the men that left him for dead.

2282 March 13th: With the help of ten thousand Mk II securitrons the Courier defeats Caesars Legion; after the battle is over he uses the securitrons to force all NCR military personnel out of the Mojave and back to California. The Courier then takes control of the Hoover Dam and New Vegas with the help of his securitrons.

2282 April 6th: After many weeks of negotiations the Courier reins in order by forming the United Mojave Alliance. The first members to join are The Boomers, The BoS, The Great Khans, all the factions on the Strip, and The Followers of the Apocalypse.

2282 April 11th: The Constitution of the UMA is drafted and the UMA Council is formed; the Boomers, the BoS, the Khans, the Strip, and the Followers are given seats on the Council.

2282 April 28th: The securitrons are stored back under the weather monitoring station. The Chairmen and the Omerta's are to act as local law enforcement for the Strip while the Brotherhood guards the dam. The Boomers, after given control of the Searchlight airport, guard both the northern and southern borders. The Khans are low on manpower so one hundred Mk II securitrons are sent to guard the western borders until the Khans fully recover their numbers. The Followers are given access to technology from the Lucky 38 and Big Mt. The Brotherhood is given control of HELIOS One, the REPCONN headquarters, and the REPCONN test site. The Boomers are given planes and bombers from Camp McCarran to repair and study. The Great Khans are given back Bitter Springs and the surrounding area.

2282 May 22nd: The Kings join the UMA and are given a seat on the Council. With their help Freeside joins as well and the Kings continue to act as the local law enforcement for Freeside.

2282 August 20th: The Courier begins negotiations with representatives from all the towns and settlements in the Mojave.

2282 August 27th: After an exhausting week of negotiations, North Vegas and Westside sign under the UMA but maintain their relationship with New Vegas as independent entities. The towns of Goodsprings, Primm, Novac, and the repopulated town of Nipton all join the UMA. Each town having worked out their specific terms and conditions.

2283 February 4th: The Courier asks the Council for volunteers from all towns and factions across the Mojave to form a military for the UMA. Up until this point the Mojave settlements were protected by local militias. The number of UMA citizens that respond is staggering, three hundred and seventy-five men and women. They are sent to Camp McCarran to be trained by Brotherhood paladins and some volunteers from the Boomers. Some of the soldiers who do exceptionally well are hand picked by the Courier to join the Mojave Guardians.

**Mojave Guardians**: A hand picked special task force specializing in covert operations, assassinations, sabotage missions, VIP extraction, and intelligence gathering. They operate by themselves or in pairs.

2283 February 5th: The Mojave Wasteland is united under one flag.

2283 June 6th: The Courier sends securitrons and repair bots to the pump stations, New Vegas Steel, The Quarry, H&amp;H Tools Factory, and Hoover Dam. It takes months but the pump stations are brought back online after the flood damage has been repaired. New Vegas Steel is made operational again and begins production of Mk III securitrons; which are designed for labor and construction rather than combat. Mk II and Mk III securitrons sent to the Quarry securing the area and work begins again. All the generators at Hoover Dam are brought back online and supply power to all of the Mojave.

2283 October 21st: Two thousand Mk IV securitrons are designed and manufactured as improved versions of the Mk II's. They are faster, smarter, and more heavily armored.

2284 January 28th: Eight hundred NCR soldiers still loyal to General Oliver invade the Mojave, without orders from President Kimball, to take back the dam sparking the first official military campaign of the UMA.

2284 January 30th: In retaliation to the invasion the generals of the UMA lead five hundred soldiers into battle backed by three hundred Mk IV securitrons. The Courier dispenses Guardians for assassination, infiltration, and sabotage operations. The Guardians manage to infiltrate and extract NCR VIP's from behind enemy lines with no casualties.

2284 July 7th: The UMA's first military campaign comes to an end after General Oliver's forces surrender. The death toll comes to one hundred and fifty-four UMA soldiers KIA. Twelve Guardians are KIA. Three hundred thirty-two NCR troopers KIA. The Courier personally oversees the capture and transport of General Lee Oliver. All remaining enemy POWs are escorted by thirty Guardians through the Mojave Outpost back into NCR territory.

2284 July 9th: After the memorials are completed General Oliver is publicly executed by firing squad. He is charged with the war crimes committed by NCR troops he led into the Mojave on July 28th. He is charged for the murder of 32 civilians, forced labor of POWs, the torture of POWs, and the execution/murder of 47 POWs.

2284 August 7th: A service is held for the families of the dead and monuments for the fallen are erected in each town or settlement. The monuments are simple; two life size sculptures of UMA soldiers are holding battle rifles. The soldier on the left is standing at attention and the one on the right is leaning casually against a large memorial plaque framed by solid granite. The memorials list the names and birthdates of every soldier that was KIA.

2284 August 8th: The UMA Council and Kimball sign a treaty reopening the Mojave Outpost. Hoping to end hostilities between the two nations in exchange for excess power from the dam and open trade routes.

2284 December 1st: All major roads have been repaired; the walls of New Vegas have been replaced with concrete from The Quarry; The H&amp;H factory is mass producing materials to replace and improve the existing infrastructure of the UMA.

2285 April 8th: Present day.

* * *

**Chapter One**

**The Courier**

Present day 0800 hours, Lucky 38 presidential suite:

A man in an armored vault suit. He's sitting on a rocky outcropping beside a highway. Waiting. A caravan is ambushed. The guards are killed. The caravaneer is captured. She begs for her life.

"Oh hush missy, it'll be alright; I just want a little fun is all. It'll be-"

"The biggest mistake you ever made." The man in the tattered vault suit appeared beside the raider. His voice is familiar. The hammer clicks. The raider's head explodes with a boom.

* * *

The Couriers eyes snapped open and he found himself staring at the ceiling of his bedroom, the Lucky 38's presidential suit. He rubbed the sleep from his eyes and looked to his right. A wave of emotion flooded his heart. Cass had draped her arm across his stomach and laid her head on his chest. A faint smile and a few locks of her red hair obscuring her beautiful face. The Courier brushed the hair behind her ear and kissed the top of her head. Her smile grew slightly and she mumbled something before rolling over onto her side. He quietly extracted himself from the bed. He snatched up his cloths and his boots. It was still early so, not wanting to wake her, he went to the bathroom to dress.

The near constant fighting for survival and traveling the wastelands had not been kind to the Couriers body. At twenty seven years old he had reached his prime; and now the years of hardship were starting to show. He looked into the mirror at the man that was staring back at him. He stood roughly six feet and some inches tall with sun bleached brown hair, his eyes were a dark brown that almost looked black. He had scars, burns, and bullet wounds all across his broad shoulders and down his back, and each scar told a story.

After pulling on his combat pants he adjusted the knee plates so they fit comfortably. Then came the arduous task of lacing the combat boots. After spending five minutes making sure the laces were perfect, he secured one of his bullet belts with the .44 revolver in its holster. He made a note in his Pip-Boy about the dream so that he could visit Dr. Usanagi later. He looked down into the porcelain sink letting his mind wander.

He had asked her about the dreams in the hopes that it would help him remember anything about who he was. He had been going to her for help over the past few weeks and her theory was that the man in his dreams was him. The man certainly fit the bill, but the dreams were brief and unclear. He had seen landmarks of the old world in the dreams and if Usanagi was right, then he had to go find them. The fact that it might trigger something was enough to make him want to pack up and leave. But he couldn't do that. Not now anyway, so he closed his eyes. He concentrated hard on the voice, the people, and the locations…nothing. He was frustrated with himself for not being able to remember despite the fact that it was out of his control.

A pair of arms snaked through his own and around his waist, Cass had woken up to an empty bed. His side of the bed was still warm so she knew he hadn't gone far.

"You had another dream." She stated more as a fact than a question. She waited as he stayed silent; knowing he was still partially lost in thought.

"I did." He turned to face her and looked into her eyes. "I've been thinking about it a lot, and with Usanagi's help I know the places in my dreams are real, the landmarks and monuments. If I ever want to remember who I am…I think my best chance is to leave; to go to those places." His eyes searched hers for a reaction. "But I can't just leave you and our-" he was cut off by a slap to the face. It wasn't hard, but it definitely wasn't soft either.

"Don't you dare get all 'macho-man' protective over me." She said with a scowl, but a smile was tugging at the corners of her mouth.

The Courier was grinning, he pulled her into a bear hug, "There's the woman I love, good morning honey." He was rewarded for his greeting with a shot to the kidney, making him grunt in pain and loosen his grip.

Cass slipped out of his arms, "And don't get all lovey-dovey on me either, asshole." She laughed. To say that the Courier and Cass had a strange relationship was like saying radiation is dangerous. Everyone knew it but nobody really understood it. "I'll go make some coffee. Cook up some of those gecko eggs we've got in refrigerator." She said walking to the kitchen, "And stop starring at my ass!"

* * *

After breakfast they went up to the penthouse to relax on some of the many couches and chairs. As they looked out over the city the Courier couldn't help but feel a sense of pride. He had helped craft this, the Mojave was a safer place because of his actions. It was a rising power on par with the NCR, and everyone knew it.

The Courier was gazing out the window at New Vegas when it hit him like a brick wall. "Look out the window and tell me what you see." He said without looking back at Cass.

"I'd say I see New Vegas," Cass responded. "But there's something else you see isn't there?"

The Courier nodded, "I just realized that the Mojave doesn't need me to push it in the right direction anymore, it's too big for that now. With the Council making most of the decisions 'The Courier," he used his fingers to make air quotes, "is nothing more than an urban legend." He wasn't sad about it, if the smirk on his face was anything to go by he was happy. "That's a good thing; I can stop bothering with all the political bullshit. I can focus on finding answers."

"You're going to the places from your dreams…" Cass hesitated. "That's not exactly close by. It'll take years for you to get there."

The Courier paused, "You've got two things wrong," He turned to look Cass in the eye. "First off, I won't be going alone. At least I hope I won't." He looked at Cass for a response.

"It's about damn time we got back on the road!" She yelled at him smiling. "It's been too long since we've traveled farther than the road to Novac. What was the second thing though?"

"It's not going to take years." He grinned. "It'll only take a few weeks. Remember when I took a few of the Guardians to capture Oliver's second in command?" He asked, "We came back a week before schedule with our VIP and three vertibirds. It's amazing how much distraction and panic you can cause with a few well-timed explosions." He said remembering the night.

* * *

**2284 April 20th, 0200 hours**

"It's a pretty nice place for a temporary base of operation." The Courier muttered under his breath observing Moore's command tent, it was two in the morning and they had just executed phase one of the extraction. They had Moore, who was unconscious, crammed into one of the two wooden supply boxes. The second box was half full of ammo and intel they gathered from CO's tent.

"Yes sir it is…" Mitch, aka Guardian-two, grumbled quietly wiring the distraction. "Sir, the C4 is hot n' ready." He stated with a slightly proud undertone.

"Alright men, just like we planned." Neil, aka Guardian-three, grinned. "Drinks on me if we pull this off without firing a round." Neil always found light in situations like this. Here the three of them were forty klicks behind enemy lines preforming a covert operation and twenty klicks past any hope of reinforcements. Their objective was to extract Brigadier General Cassandra Moore, who had been promoted from colonel, from the middle of the NCR's base of operations. The idea behind mission was to convince the NCR that it didn't matter where they drew the front lines on their war maps; that nowhere was safe. It weakened the overall morale and at the same time it removed some major commanding officers.

The three of them had collected solid intel that the NCR was preparing shock troopers for an attack on Primm to end a three day siege. They also had intel suggesting that Cassandra Moore was stationed at that very same base. So the Courier opted to send himself and two Guardians to perform an extraction to cripple the chain of command and find a way to stop the shock troopers.

"Alright," the Courier stood straightening his NCR uniform. "Neil you're helping me with Moore's crate," he said as the two lifted the crate with ease. "Mitch you've got the other crate. Remember our alibi; we're just transporting some extra supplies to the vertibirds."

"Roger that, let's get going. I can't stand this NCR outfit; it chafes in all the wrong places." Mitch complained.

"We can get you some baby powder when we get back to friendly territory." Neil grunted.

"Can the chatter you two, we're oscar-mike." The Courier snapped.

"Yes sir," both of them echoed.

They made their way out of the tent and turned left toward the vertibirds that were one hundred yards away from the CO's tent. There were a few guards patrolling the base however most of them were guarding the outskirts in observation towers. A sergeant came out of the tent suddenly and bumped into Mitch. Fuck.

"Hey now, what's the hurry men?" The sergeant asked with an eyebrow raised. Mitch had to recover quickly or risk compromising phase two of the operation.

"Sorry sergeant, we're loading up a few last minute supplies for the heavy troops tomorrow. You can never have too much ammo." Mitch replied confidently.

"I heard that." The sergeant laughed, "Tomorrow we give those bastards the what-for, it'll teach them what happens when you piss on the Bear." He nodded before walking off. "As you were, soldiers."

"Yes sir," Mitch returned the gesture. The three of them continued through the maze of tan tents and fire pits to the landing pads, passing only one other patrol. When they got to the landing pads they loaded Moore and the intel onto the first vertibird. Both crates were strapped into the cargo net so that they wouldn't shift during the flight.

"Alright men, remember your training in the flight simulators and this'll go off without a hitch. Neil go to the vertibird down there," the Courier said pointing at the bird on the opposite end of the pad. "I want Mitch to be able to see my signal."

They had Moore, now they had to extract her. It was time to execute phase two. Mitch got into his vertibird and looked to his left for less than a minute before turning back to the Courier. He gave a thumbs up, the signal that Neil was in his bird ready for lift off The Courier took one last glance at the base and gave Mitch the signal to blow the roof off of this base.

Reaching into his pocket he retrieved the detonator, he always loved when things went smoothly. Mitch looked out at the camp with his finger on the detonator, "And here, we…go." He pulled the trigger and on the other side of the camp the mess hall exploded in a ball of fire. Mitch had placed it next to the fuel supply for the stoves. Panic. Their engines roared to life as the trigger was pulled again. Fifty yards outside the base three massive explosions shuddered through the camp. Diversion. The vertibirds were in the air, turning to make their getaway, when Mitch pulled the trigger for the third and final time. The CO's tent, in the heart of the base, was blown to kingdom come as the vertibirds made their way back to UMA territory.

"Well done men. Neil, I'm looking forward to that hooch you're buyin' me," laughed Mitch through the squad radio.

"Stay frosty you two, we're still executing phase two." The Courier scolded them through the radio, and then laughed. "But god damn it, I love when a plan comes together like that! Good work, that'll send them all the way back to the planning board."

They flew all night and at five in the morning they could see the UMA boarder. "Mojave Outpost Bravo, this is Guardian-one actual, how copy over?"

After a few moments of static someone answered, "Solid copy, this is Mojave Outpost Bravo, go ahead."

"Requesting permission to land, we're flying three enemy birds. We've got solid intel and one pissed off NCR officer in custody."

"Roger that, you've been cleared for landing. Welcome home Guardians."

**Present day 0930 hours**

"So," he said walking over to the couch where Cass was sitting, her feet kicked up onto the table. "We'll take one of the birds, some supplies, and scram tomorrow morning." He sat down next to the one person who loved to travel as much as he did. "What do you think?"

She looked at him hard with a gaze that could make a deathclaw turn tail and head for the hills. After a full minute her gaze finally slipped and she smirked, "I can't think of a better way to get back onto the road." She pulled him into a lung crushing hug. Her voice no louder than a whisper, "And I've always wanted to see the east coast."

* * *

**Authors note**: There's a few shameless movie references in here somewhere, see if you can spot them, some are harder than others to spot. I had most of this written so the next chapter will take a little while longer.

**The Courier and Cass**. It's probably been done before but I'm trying my hand at it. She's not the type that falls head over heels once she meets the 'right guy'. In the game she tells you that she isn't looking for anything more than someone to travel with, but that's the game…and this is my story. She maintains her gruff and tough personality from the game, but the two of them do have deep feelings for each other and they will show it in private. But mostly it'll be like the relationship you have with Cass in the game.

**P.S.** Please let me know what you'd like to see happen. Ideas, suggestions, and criticism are always welcome. It lets me know that people are actively reading what I write.


	2. Chapter Two

**A/N: **I've edited chapter two and three together, it just seemed to flow better this way. I present to you: Chapter Two

* * *

Chapter 2

It was silent at the meeting table, everyone was gathered for an emergency meeting the day before by the Courier. Victor rolled into the meeting room "Alright now that everyone's here we can start."

"Where is he Victor? He gathered all of us are here for a reason." The North Vegas Council member asked, holding his chin with one hand and tapping the table with his other.

"Settle your spurs there cow poke, he wanted everyone to be present for this meeting. I've got a recording to show that'll explain everything." Victor said with his usual gung-ho cowboy attitude. Victor's face disappeared and in its place the Courier filled the screen standing on the roof of the Lucky 38.

"Is it recording? Yes? Alright," he cleared his throat. "I am resigning as head of the Council; I've left my mark on the Mojave. Now it's time for the Council to guide the UMA. The UMA is thriving right now and it doesn't need 'The Courier' anymore. Honestly he's just an urban legend. I'm no politician," he laughed. "I'm just another road-jockey." The Courier paused and took on a serious tone. "I left to find answers about who I am. I don't know when or even if I'll return, so don't bother trying to find me. I left a letter for Mitch and Neil that leaves them in charge of the Guardians. You are the Council, the ruling hand of the UMA. If nothing else, remember this…the UMA was created for the good of the Mojave, and she's been good to me. Don't let me down." The screen went black then Victor's face reappeared.

Everyone was silent for a long moment before Marcus broke the silence, "He will be missed." Simple but that simple sentence summed up what everyone was thinking. Everything on the video was true; The Courier had finally folded his cards and cashed his chips; he was out of the game.

**Three mile's from DC**

"Recognize anything yet?" Cass asked over the noise of the rotor blades. They had traveled for a week and made a few stops along highways that seemed familiar from the air but nothing had clicked yet.

"Not yet," he admitted. "But I saw the Washington monument in most of thedreams; it's always in the skyline somewhere so maybe that's a good place to check out." The east coast was drastically different from the Mojave. Everything was slowly becoming the same shade of grey with no sign of plant life anywhere. "I'm glad I packed those MRE's eh Cass. Not much to hunt out here."

"Of course, thank you so much!" she exclaimed overdramatically, "Whatever would I have done without you and your MRE's?" She and the Courier shared a laugh. "But you're right about there not being anything to hunt, how do people survive out here?"

They had seen a few buildings here and there, most of the large buildings had been reduced to rubble, but they were approaching the big landmark; one of the most recognizable monuments on either coast. The Washington Monument. It was surrounded by what had been considered the heart of the old world government; most of which was now ashes or rubble.

He spotted what looked like an old world military base. It had an enormous landing strip with a destroyed…something in the middle; Hangers lined the southern end of the air strip. The huge wreckage had four vertibirds on it, but they were all twisted piles of scrap metal. It looked like someone had dropped some heavy artillery on it. "We'll set the bird down on top of that big thing," Then he laughed, "I don't even know what to call it, look at the size of that thing."

He touched down on what was left of the landing pad. "Alright suit up, we're outa here in ten minutes." They had both been flying in their armor, being a courier and a caravaneer made wearing their armor for long periods of time a fact of life.

Cass wore hardened gecko hide armor with metal plating on her forearms and shins. Her shoulder pauldrons had been doubled up with both leather and light metal plating over top of the leather. She had them strapped together across her shoulder blades in the back, and just under her neck line in the front. Her chest plate looked like a Kevlar vest with big pockets on the belt. Her thighs were protected by more metal woven into Gecko hide; the knee pads were from an old suit of combat armor she'd taken from the Van Graffs. She still wore her cowgirl boots though; she'd been very adamant about keeping them. In her bag she had packed her caravan shotgun, as well as her new riot shotgun with plenty of ammo for both weapons.

The Courier wore his elite riot armor from the Divide. The plates on his forearms were worn and dented from bullets ricocheting off of them. He had pockets on both biceps under heavy metal shoulder pauldrons that covered right up to his neck without sacrificing maneuverability; they had straps on the front and back similar to Cass's armor. His body armor wasn't very flexible but it made up for that in the protection it offered; it had a small half-circle plate that covered his throat. A bullet belt was slung across his shoulder with .308 AP rounds; two more belts were around his waist holding .44 magnum ammo for his revolver. His legs lacked the amount of armor he had on his upper body. He wore combat pants with heavy metal knee pads and combat boots with two strips of armor plating on the front and back of the boots. In his bag he brought his battle rifle with fifteen magazines and extra ammo on the belt that was strapped across his chest.

The Courier looked around and saw the vertibirds were burned and twisted beyond recognition. Looking to the east he saw a break in the mountains, "Over there, through that building, that's where we're headed." He and Cass grabbed their bags, slung them over their shoulders, and began the decent off of the wreckage. It was only once they were on the ground that the Courier realized he'd landed on an old world crawler, a vehicle used to transport rockets that launched satellites into space.

"Holy shit that thing's huge, and it's got treds like one of those old world tanks. You think they use to drive this thing?" Cass asked, not taking her eyes off of the crawler. She had no idea what someone would do with something that big or why they'd bother to build it.

"It's a crawler; they launched satellites into space with it." The Courier explained, "A big fuckin waste of money if you ask me." He turned and headed south toward the building that lead through the mountains, "We're on foot for the rest of the way so stay frosty." he said it only as a warning that they should be careful, but Cass thought it was funny.

Cass had a good laugh after he told her to 'stay frosty', "Don't talk to me like I'm one of your Guardians, alright. I know how to take care of myself. Let's get into those buildings," she suggested. "Being out in the open like this makes me feel like someone is watching us."

The hair on the back of the Couriers neck was suddenly standing on end. "Keep your eyes forward, we're being followed," he said under his breath. "Turn right, we'll go into one of those hangers and find some cover. Weapons ready, so only fire if they fire first." His gut was telling him to turn and fire so he quickened his pace.

The hanger, like all the others, had big holes in it's roof. There were big metal crates to the left and right of the door. There was a cat walk that ran parallel with the entrance with metal crates on it that could be used as cover. "Hide behind the crates on the left; I'm going for the catwalk. If they start shooting you toss 'em a grenade bouquet." The Courier didn't bother to look back; he ran and jumped, grabbing hold of the railing and pulled himself up and over. No time for stairs. He waited…and waited. Then he heard voices enter the hanger.

A mans voice echoed through the hanger. "That kid has a lot of nerve showing up after eight years…where the fuck did he go anyway?"

A woman's voice replied, "Maybe he went out through the back; he must have heard your noisy ass when you kicked that tin can and just wanted to get back to the Capitol Wasteland. He probably came back to see Amata." The voices were now passing under him. He saw Brotherhood sigils on the pauldrons of their power armor.

"They must be the eastern chapter that was sent to D.C." Thought the Courier, "How do they know me though…" Then he realized he hadn't put on his helmet. He placed his bag on the catwalk quietly and right when they were under him he jumped down on them. He kicked with both feet, striking voice one's head and knocking him out cold. The woman turned to him and before she could raise her laser rifle he punched it with all his might. It must have been pretty old because it snapped clean in half with a crackle of electricity. In a flash he had his battle rifle raised, sights trained on her unarmored head. He backed away from her putting distance between them. "Cass!" he yelled, not taking his eyes off the blonde.

"WHAT THE FUCK!" The blonde yelled looking at him in disbelief. "What the fuck is wrong with you Mike!"

"How do you know who I am?" The Courier asked calmly. The man groaned and reached for his weapon. The Courier fired once and shattered the barrel of the plasma rifle.

"Oh god-damn it!" The man shouted looking at the destroyed plasma rifle. "That was my favorite one you ass!"

"Stay down on the ground if you want to keep your knees working." Cass said from behind the two in a deadly calm voice. "Now I'll ask you, how do you guys know him…"

Sarah was dumb struck; he didn't remember her or Kodiak. What happened to him? "Mike it's me, Sarah…"

As soon as she said her name the Couriers mind was flooded with memories. Adams Air Force base. Enclave. Control center in the crawler. Suicide mission. Orbital strike on the crawler. He had fired it. A vertibird. Sarah was in the vertibird. Victory…

The Courier found himself on the ground clutching his head. He heard footsteps coming towards him and reacted on instinct. He was down on one knee and she was approaching his left side. He kicked out at her foot that was in mid step. She toppled over and he rolled away and in a flash had the revolvers sights trained right between her eyes. "Who. Am. I." he asked, his voice full of emotion, his hand shaking slightly. "I've traveled a long way for answers."

"Your name is Michael! you were raised in vault 101, your father left the vault when you were nineteen to continue his work on Project Purity. Project Purity is a purifier in the Jefferson memorial. It's slowly purifying the Potomac tidal basin of the Capitol Wasteland. You disappeared four and a half years ago after destroying Adams Air Force base; the Enclave's last base of operation. The one we're standing in right now. You disappeared without a trace after that. Please lower the gun, you're a friend of the Brotherhood. You're my friend."

"Michael…" The Courier mumbled, "Well, ain't that a kick in the head." He had already rediscovered his name. That was a step in the right direction, he holstered his revolver. "Sarah…" A new wave of memories pounded throughout his brain. Brotherhood. The Citadel. The Lyons Pride.

"We've got a vertibird, can we take it to the Citadel?" He was looking off into the distance when he asked Sarah. He was lost in thought, trying to remember more about who he was and going to the Citadel seemed like the best bet.

"Hold on," Cass spoke up in a tone that said 'slow down stupid'. "You're taking this too fast, how the fuck do we know we can trust her?" Cass still had her shot gun trained on Kodiak; he remembered that name, he was the 'jack of all trades' of the Lyons Pride.

Michael looked up at Cass, "Because she saved my life."

* * *

"What's on your mind, Mike?" It was strange to hear Cass call him by his birth name; but he was glad that he had a name that he could call his own.

He was silent for a moment before replying, "I was a fuckin coward." He growled, "I hid behind others while they fought and died to protect me." He was clearly agitated by the new discovery of his past.

"Well look how far you've come, you saved the west coast almost single handedly; but we both know you couldn't have done it without me. You're not a coward in my eyes, or in the eyes of the Guardians." She saw his posture relax slightly as he mulled what she had told him.

They reached the bottom of the crawler and Michael studied the wreckage looking for a possible path that he could use to get to the top. "Cass," he motioned to her and pointed up at the wreckage, "The pipes running along the exposed walls should lead us right back to the top."

Sarah and Kodiak caught up to the pair staring up at the twisted metal wreckage, "How the hell are we going to get up to the deck?"

Rather than answer her question he glanced at Cass who nodded in confirmation, "Climb." He ran full speed at the wreckage. When he reached the side of the metal behemoth he jumped and took two steps up the metal wall before grabbing a segment of bent pipe and hoisting himself up. The next five minutes were a blur of Mike jumping from pipe to pipe, girder to girder, like a spider monkey. Cass was right behind him; she waited until he was half way up the side of the crawler before mirroring his ascent.

Sarah and Kodiak were slower than the pair, and fifteen minutes later they were they made it to the top. Sarah grunted with effort as she pulled herself up onto to the landing deck with Kodiak following behind, "Did you even _think_ about coming back for the vertibird before you climbed down five levels of twisted steel?"

She was glad to see that he was alive, but she wasn't happy with Mike returning. They had all assumed he'd died in D.C. during a huge super mutant attack on their newest base of operations.

* * *

**2278 February 15th:**

The Brotherhood had been fortifying the capitol building for two weeks before they were almost overrun by an unending wave of super mutants. The wave hit three months after Project Purity had begun operation; they had attacked the west and east sides simultaneously. Most of the super mutants were equipped with nothing more than hunting rifles or at worst assault rifles, but a few had come packing some serious firepower. The few were armed with mini guns, missile launchers, and a fat man that Dusk had stopped with a headshot before it had gotten too close.

It was a losing battle on the western end. They had the high ground so at first it seemed they were going to ride out the wave; then the missile launchers arrived, and the Brotherhood started to lose their hold. It was too much ground to cover with the number of soldiers that had been stationed there. The east end was holding, but just barely; the Pride and five paladins were fighting off an endless stream of super mutants. They would have called in air support but the first shot fired was a missile that hit the long range communications relay and had cut off the coms with the Citadel.

Michael had always been one to stay out of harm's way if he could help it. He wasn't a fighter in fact the only reason he was talented with a hunting rifle was because of the BB gun his father had given him on his tenth birthday. He had been more interested in sneaking around, usually into the lower levels of the vault, when nobody was looking.

After an hour of fighting the super mutants it was obvious that the long range coms were unsalvageable. Without telling anyone Mike had taken recon armor and a stealth boy from the storage room. He then escaped out the side door to the nearest metro tunnel. Two vertibirds arrived a half hour later mowing down the super mutants with its forward 30mm cannons.

After the dust settled the vertibirds landed to take the wounded to the Citadel. Sarah asked around the Citadel but it was the paladins stationed at the Washington monument that had delivered the distress message. Weeks passed, then months, and finally after a year he was assumed KIA somewhere in the metro tunnels, but his body was never recovered.

* * *

**Present day:**

"What's the matter, can't keep up? Hey Mike crack open an MRE, I think somebody needs a snack." Cass taunted from the deck of the crawler. She was skeptical about trusting two people she'd never met; that Michael had only recently remembered. Mike struggling very hard not to laugh, Cass was jealous, but she would shoot him in the foot if he suggested it, and would probably kill Sarah if she said anything.

"Hey now, play nice." Michael taunted back at Cass. He was rewarded with a strong punch to the shoulder. She was jealous. "That's not playing nice Cass." He dodged a few more swings before wrapping her up in his arms in a bear hug. "That's the last straw woman," he tossed her over his shoulder; "you're riding co-pilot." He loaded her into the vertibird ignoring her kicks and punches, and then climbed into the pilot seat.

Sarah and Kodiak loaded themselves into the passenger area. As Sarah climbed in she admired the interior of the vertibird. It looked almost like a home; the cargo area had enough ammunition and food to last the Mike and Cass for a month at least. The passenger area was elevated from the cockpit; very much like the vertibird that flew Mike and the Pride off of the crawler four years ago. They had an elaborate radio broadcasting system that looked like a smaller version of the one in Three Dogs studio. Two bed rolls were bound together and stored under the passenger seats.

"Mike," Sarah called down into the cockpit, "do you remember Amata?" She wasn't sure how it would go over if he remembered her. From what she heard he had some history with Amata. After going back to the vault because of a distress signal Amata had broadcast into the wastes, he had returned to Megaton heartbroken. The conflict had been resolved, but was kicked out again; he wouldn't tell her anything else at the time but Sarah knew Amata had something to do with it.

"Nope." he called back, "She someone I should know?" Michael didn't recognize the name, but the tone in Sarah's voice told him that it was important.

Sarah wasn't sure what to say, so she opted for the truth, "I'm not sure, but I think she was your girlfriend before you left the vault." The vertibird was silent for a full minute before Cass spoke up.

A low growl came from the copilot seat, "…If you had kids with some bitch from a vault, I'll toss you out of this vertibird and fly myself back to the Mojave." Michael knew she wasn't serious. Well he was ninety percent sure she wasn't serious.

"I seriously doubt it; she had something to do with you being kicked out of the vault." She waited for a reaction. "Mike?"

"I don't remember her…" He mumbled, "I'm not sure I want to." The flight to the Citadel was relatively silent apart from a few questions Michael asked Sarah and Kodiak. When they were in range Michael hailed Citadel Command.

Mike called back to the passenger seats, "Sarah, dial me into Citadel Command." He was going to broadcast a message to the Brotherhood; it would be unwise to fly into the Brotherhoods courtyard unannounced.

"Ok," after a short wait the radio crackled to life, "alright Mike, you're on the Citadel Commands channel."

"Thank you," he said as he picked up the hand mic and hailed the Citadel. "Citadel Command this is Guardian-one, do you read over." Michael called into the coms, reminding Sarah and Kodiak yet again that this was not the boy that had left the Capitol wasteland. Sarah wondered if the boy she knew was still there, behind the new gruff exterior.

"Guardian-one you're flying in restricted air space, what's your business in the Capitol Wasteland?" A voice Michael recognized as Paladin Bael.

"I have Sentinel Lyons and Paladin Kodiak on board. We are in route to the Citadel, requesting permission to touch down in the courtyard." Michael called back into the coms. There were a few moments of silence before Bael responded.

"You're giving the Sentinel a ride back? Alright I guess, I'll clear a landing space for you. When you land you're going to hand over any weapons and report to the Elder." Bael was delusional if he thought that's the way things would play out. Mike never went anywhere without a firearm, even in a casino he always had a .22 pistol strapped to his torso.

"Roger that," he cut the coms and turned to Cass. "Don't worry, we're not sticking around. We're dropping our guests off and then paying a visit to my hometown." Mike's mind was being constantly blasted with memories as they flew farther into the Capitol Wasteland. He knew he had a home in the town of Megaton, which was a little north-west of the Citadel.

"Hold on a second, you're just going to drop us off and leave?" Sarah asked dumbfounded, he said he wanted answers so she thought he was going to ask for a meeting with the elder. "You're not going to stick around; maybe explain where you've been for the past three years."

"No, don't need to; most of the answers I came for are surfacing. It's just a matter of time until I remember everything. You've been invaluable though, memories have been trickling back ever since you said my name. And for that…I thank you." Mike wasn't used to talking at length with anyone other than the Guardians and Cass. With all the memories that had been resurfacing, he needed some time to think. What better place to do so than home. He smiled at thoughts of all his friends in that small town. It would be good to see them again.

Sarah saw his point, if he didn't need their help he'd have no reason to stick around. "Alright, I guess I can't stop you, but be careful, Talon Company had tripled the bounty on your head. They think you've been hiding somewhere in the wasteland outside of D.C. If they find out you're back…just be careful alright."

"Don't worry about me." Mike said, flying over top of the Citadel, "I can handle whatever they throw at me. I didn't survive the trip cross country by sneaking past every danger thrown my way." He intended to beef up Megaton's defenses, if only by giving the residents better weapons. The vertibirds were always stocked with extra firepower, nothing crazy but enough to make a difference.

"This is your stop," Mike said to Sarah and Kodiak. "Goodbye, I'll stop by and see you again, I just time to think." He radioed Citadel Command again, "Citadel Command, this Guardian-one. We're dropping off Sentinel Lyons and paladin Kodiak. The sentinel will answer your questions; I'm dusting off and heading to Megaton." He clicked off the coms.

"Stay safe kid," Kodiak warned to mike. Then he addressed Cass for the first time and joked with a grin, "Thanks for not blowing my knees off." He jumped out after Sarah, and when they were a safe distance away from the vertibird the engines roared to life once more and moments later Mike was gone.

* * *

**Above Megaton, 1520 hours.**

He circled Megaton in the vertibird. The town was built on the walls of a crater created by an undetonated nuclear bomb. The walls, houses, and walkways were all constructed from huge parts of old world airplanes.

"Hmm, they tore down Burkes old place." Mike noted seeing the empty space under Lucy West's house. "By the looks of it that leaves enough room to land." He said as he brought the vertibird down, people were running inside and hiding while others grabbed weapons. Mike had expected this reaction and when the touched down he flipped a switch and spoke into an intercom that was connected to an outside speaker.

"I apologize for the unannounced arrival. Lucas, we are with the Brotherhood. Do not open fire; we didn't come here to fight." Mike flipped the switch off and sat back in his seat and hoped that nobody had an itchy trigger finger.

"Well," he said to Cass. "Let's go introduce you to the sheriff."

Mike got up out of his seat and climbed into the passenger area gathering his battle rifle, extra magazines and set his helmet down in the pilot seat. He strapped the battle rifle on his back and placed the magazines into his belt.

"This town has a sheriff?" Cass asked with a raised eyebrow, "It looks like a bunch of tin houses."

"It might not be much, but it's home." Mike replied as he opened up the door and hoped out into the center of Megaton. Everyone's eyes were on the two strangers that flew a vertibird into the town center. Mike looked up at the walkways and saw familiar faces. He saw Billy Creel with his hand on his .44, next to him was Jerico holding his Chinese assault rifle.

"You two!" shouted Lucas Simms walking down past the bomb in the center of town. "I don't know who you think you are, but you got no right…" He stopped dead in his tracks when he saw who the man was. "…Mike, is that you." He stared in disbelief.

"That's what they tell me." He replied, not looking at Simms but around at everyone that was staring. People were starting to come out of their homes after the long pause without gunfire. Many of the people there seemed to recognize Mike and a few seemed happy to see him.

Mike turned back to Lucas, "It's good to see you again Lucas." He walked to the sheriff and held his hand out. "It's been too long."

He slowly took Mikes hand then his face lit up with a smile. "It's good to see you too Mike. It's been a long time, where've you been."

"He took a stroll out to the west coast, name's Cass by the way. He tells me he's got a place we can crash for the night." She said looking around.

"He does indeed, and don't worry I haven't sold it off yet. It should be just the way you left it; figured you might be back one of these days." The sheriff said cheerfully. "I'm not sure how safe you ride's going to be in the center of town though."

"Don't worry about the vertibird, it'll be locked down tight. I brought some gifts from the Mojave, figured I'd lend them to Megaton seeing as you're still using that old Chinese rifle; is Stockholm still up there?" Mike asked gesturing up towards the Megaton entrance.

"Last time I checked he was, and what do you mean by gifts. You've got weapons you're selling?" the sheriff asked.

"Not selling, he's donating them, and I can see why. If that's what you use to protect this town, than your about one big raider attack away from disaster."

Lucas thought about it for a moment before replying, "Well if you've got some spare weapons they'd be much appreciated, we're overdue for an upgrade and Crow doesn't carry anything heavier than what we've got."

"Mikey my friend, I didn't think we'd see you again after you disappeared." Billy Creel had come down into the town center to greet the returning Wanderer. "Maggie grew up a bit since you've been gone but for a while she was real sad that you didn't come home. Where did you run off to anyway?"

"West." Mike replied from inside the vertibird rummaging through the weapons crates. The Guardians kept a small armory in each of the three vertibirds that had been stolen from the NCR during the war. Not enough to arm the town, but enough to arm those that protected it. When the Guardians used the vertibirds they worked in squads of three or four. There wasn't much variety in the few guns that they did carry but that was countered by the amount of ammo stocked in the cargo hold.

Mike pulled out two wooden crates, "Lucas these are for the armory," He pried open the first crate, inside were two riot shotguns, two marksman carbines, one light machine gun, and an anti-material rifle. "These'll stay here as long as I do; it's all worth at least three caravans of what Crow's carries. Cass can you pull out the ammo crate?" She nodded and jumped into the vertibird. "It should be next to the MRE's"

"You and the fucking MRE's!" She yelled from inside the bird. "If I have to eat this powdered slop for much longer I might take to eating radroaches instead." Then she laughed, "I doubt you'll like the morning breath from that."

Billy and Lucas were staring wide eyed at the weapons that Mike had brought. Jerico and Lucy had come down from the walkways above the town center. "Wow kid, you should disapear more often if this is what you bring back." He knelt down and inspected one of the riot shotguns, "You got some nice toys here, bring anything for me?"

"Back off Jerico, these are for the people who'll protect Megaton, not old retired raiders. Aren't you seventy something now?"

Jerico set the shotgun back into the crate and stood to look Mike in the eye, "I told you kid, I left that life behind me. I'm doin' good things for this town with what little time I've got left. I might be old but I ain't dead yet."

Billy spoke up, "It's true Mike, he's been helping keep watch with Stockholm and he helps Colin keep things in order up in the saloon when it gets busy."

"Alright in that case," Mike said as he hefted up the AM rifle, "Bring this up to Stockholm." He handed the rifle off to Jerico. "I've got something for you when you come back." Mike and Cass spent a half hour unloading weapons and ammo. Lucy and Jerico received the shotguns with extra magazines, Lucas and his son Harden were given the marksman carbines with ammo to share. Mike decided that the LMG was too much for anyone in Megaton to wield effectively, so it was stored in the armory. When it all was handed out Mike made his way into his old home with Cass in tow; the sun was setting and it had been a long day.

He opened the door to his home and was hit by another wave of memories, he clutched his forehead as newest headache set in. He shook it off and spread his arms wide "Not much, but it's home and lot more comfortable than sleeping in the vertibird." Mike said with a grin. He shrugged off his bag and set it in the corner. He saw an old radio on a book case filled with prewar literature. "I guess I was a bit of a reader." He said as he turned on the radio.

The last bit of a song ended and then the radio host came on the air. "Because one dog ain't enough, and two is too low, it's me, Three Dog. Amazing news children, I've just got wind, from the boys in steel guarding the station that the crazy kid from Vault 101 is back! Word is he flew in this morning, that's right children, he came back in style. After dropping off two members of the Lyons Pride at the Citadel he flew back home to Megaton. Now I have just as many questions as you do. Why's he back, where'd he go, and how'd he get that vertibird? If you're out there kid, stop by the station and give old Three Dog the scoop. That's all for now children, this is Three Dog, Bawoooooo. Now for some music." And just like that a song echoed throughout the small home.

"Mother fucker." Mike growled under his breath. The entire wasteland was now aware of his presence, for better or worse. No doubt that'd stir up some trouble that he'd hoped to avoid before the first day back. He sat in a chair holding his face in his hands and took a deep breath. "Not one day and now the entire wasteland knows I'm back…"

"There's nothing we can do about it now, let's get some sleep so we can see the Brotherhood tomorrow." Cass yawned, "Where's the bed?"

"It's upstairs, follow me." As they headed up the stairs Mike mind was running a mile a minute.

"What's on your mind?"

What do you mean?" Mike said defensively.

"You're thinking about something, I can practically hear the gears in your head turning."

As they were taking their armor off beside the bed he sighed, "I'm tired Cass, tired off all the fighting, all the killing. It's starting to wear me down...I can see it in you too." He walked to her and put a hand on her stomach. "The violence has to stop. I don't want our child to have to do what we've done. I don't want to raise a child that has to fight everyday to survive." She wrapped him in a tight hug.

"I want that too Mike, but are you sure this is the place to do it?"

"It might not look like much but this is one of the few safe havens in the Capital Wasteland." He promised, "It's a stones throw away from the Brotherhood's main base. It's also a high traffic area by caravans." She could hear the smile in his words. "It's the only place on the east coast I feel safe in."

"If you say so," Cass relented, hearing that he felt safe here meant she'd sleep much better.

"I'm good friends with a man in the caravan business." Mike said as he pulled a blanket over Cass and himself, "We'll have Cassidy Caravans up and running in no time."

"I like that idea," Cass whispered.

Sleep took them quickly.

* * *

A torrent of rage and anger mixed with an ocean of sorrow and grief was thick in the confines of his mind. He woke from his slumber dazed and confused inside of a stasis pod trapped behind a blue energy field. Then the man that murdered his father in front of him walked into the room. He demanded an activation code for the project that his father had been working on for the better part of a decade. The rage and hatred that radiated from Michael scared him for a moment. But that thought was pushed away when his fathers murderer demanded the code again.

"Fuck you! You arrogant son of a bitch, you killed my father!" Something had broken inside of his mind. His voice dripping with venom he snarled, "When I get out of here, and I will get out, I will kill you. I will tear your limbs from your body and watch you die like you made me watch my father die!" Tears of anger and grief flowed freely down his face.

Where was this coming from? He'd never been a violent person...until he was forced to shoot his way to the Citadel after the attack on Project Purity; he'd killed out of anger for the first time in his life. Every other time he'd killed it was for his own survival; raiders and FEV mutants, feral ghouls and mutated wild life. Never from raw emotion like when he had fled to the Citadel after the Enclave had murdered his father.

Next he knew he was running. Running through Raven Rock blasting holes in anything that looked like it belonged to the Enclave. Soldiers and officers alike were scrambling through the halls of the complex to where they were needed. Michael had his dawned his set of T45-b power armor the one that the Brotherhood of Steel had issued to him when he became a knight. It was inferior to the armor the Enclave wore but his ferocity and rage propelled him through the tight corridors.

The purifier, he was back at the purifier. And Colonel Autumn stood in his way. The Colonel didn't even draw his side arm before Michael tackled him to the ground. The emotions clouding his mind didn't see the fist that connected with his jaw. He staggered to his feet and drew the plasma rifle he'd picked up along the way. He fired a green bolt at the Colonel and hit his leg, which melted at the knee into a pile of green goop. Michael dragged him up the stairs and held him over the rail above the waters below.

"You dirty rotten son of a bitch!" Michael seethed. "You killed my father. You killed Janice. Your Enclave have done nothing but tear apart the wasteland!" A punch broke Autumns nose. "I will hunt and destroy and kill and eradicate the rest of the Enclave. I will make it my mission in life to fucking destroy you. I WILL KILL ALL OF YOU!" With a scream filled with all the pain and anguish the Enclave had caused him by killing his friends and the last of his family, he lifted the Colonel over his head and threw him into the waters below the rotunda. The Colonels screams filled the air as he was torn limb from limb by the mirelurks below.

* * *

Michael woke in a cold sweat, out of breath and gasping for air. He heard Cass calling his name and his eyes focused on her. Half asleep and looking at him anxiously she cupped his face in her hands and pulled him into a hug which he returned after a moment.

"You were mumbling in your sleep." She whispered.

"It was a bad dream, a really bad dream..." He kissed the top of her head and pulled her tighter. "I love you."

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked hesitantly, "Was it a memory?"

The screams of all the Enclave soldiers that he had slaughtered echoed in the back of his mind but were pushed away by the warmth radiating off of Cass. He took a deep breath and let it out. "Maybe in the morning," he kissed her again, "we can worry about it in the morning. I'm alright now, let's just go back to sleep."

Cass nodded and gave him a soft kiss and he wrapped her in his arms holding her close until sleep swept his into a dreamless sleep. His last though, 'Who am I.'

* * *

Review, criticize, pitch ideas, point out minor errors and/or plot holes. I want everybody who takes the time to read this to have an effect on the story. As always thank you for reading and stay tuned for more.


	3. Chapter Three

**Outside Megaton 0500 hours**

"Alright boys, we finally found the little bastard. And in a few hours when we give his head to Mr. Littlehorn, we'll never have to work again for the rest of our lives. Those fifteen thousand caps are as good as ours." Commander Jabsco sneered. "He's also got a girlfriend according to the Brotherhood." He had confirmed the Lone Wanderers presence via Brotherhood radio chatter, as well as his affections for the woman he showed up with. The Brotherhood loved to gossip when they weren't fighting super mutants.

When he heard Three Dog announcing the return of the Lone Wanderer and his trip to Megaton. He had mobilized immediately and with twenty men he was confident he could bypass Megatons 'security'; which he thought to be one robot, a sharpshooter above the entrance, and the sheriff. His plan was to use the 'shock and awe' tactic to bring down the gate and take out the sniper at the same time with a well-timed missile barrage.

"Let's do it, while everybody's still asleep. They'll never know what hit 'em." One of the men in black combat armor said with malice in his voice. Years ago during a failed attempt on Mikes life, star paladin Cross had gunned down his brother, and he was thirsty for revenge.

"Alright boys, fire the missiles!" Jabsco ordered.

The silence of the early morning air was shattered by the scream of three missiles that slammed into Megaton's front gate. The old rusty metal was no match for the explosives, and when the dust settled the gate was no more.

**Mike's house, 0450 hours**

Mike woke up in an unfamiliar lumpy bed in a room was made from rusty sheets of scrap metal and wood. After a moment's thought he realized he was back in his house in the town of Megaton, back home. He looked to his right and the sight brought a smile to his face; Cass was next to him with her head on his shoulder and her arm across his chest. He wanted to stay there forever, but like all men he had to pee. He gently woke her with a kiss and she cracked an eye open.

"Can't you just hold it?" She asked; he shook his head, "Well hurry back then, before I get cold."

The robot butler that had been in the house was almost as annoying as Yes Man, constantly getting in the way when they'd climb up or down the stairs. So he deactivated him and rested him in the corner of the first floor against some lockers he used as storage.

As he relieved himself memories both large and small continued to fall back into place; thoughts of finally finding peace and somewhere to settle down flowed into his mind. Megaton was a fairly safe town with Lucas keeping order and Stockholm guarding the gate. Maybe, just maybe Cass and him could settle down and plant roots. They had admitted to each other recently that they were tired of all the killing and violence that came with their occupations. "Maybe this is the place," he said to himself, thinking of all his friends that lived here. Lucas and Billy both were raising children here, and if it was safe enough for them, it was safe enough for him. "Maybe I've finally found it." He smiled to himself. . He checked his pipboy and saw what time it was, he could stay in bed but he'd never fall back asleep. Cass had apparently thought the same thing because when he entered the bedroom she was halfway dressed.

"I'm glad we're both early risers, I was just thinking about heading out." He said as he started to dress in his combat gear. "I should head back to the Citadel and give them the full story. They'll want it eventually, might as well be sooner than later. You coming with me or do you want to stay? There's a bar up on the north end." He strapped on the last knee plate and looked at Cass but right before she answered there were three huge explosions that shook the foundation of his house. His eyes went wide; nobody was awake and the town was under attack. He grabbed his battle rifle, revolver, and helmet. He was out the door with Cass behind him in seconds. What he saw horrified him, Talon Company mercenaries were streaming in from a hole in the main gate. They were gunning down the half-dressed citizens that were stumbling out of their homes still half asleep. The mercs were climbing up toward Craterside Supply and .

Mike spurred into action, "Cass I need you to follow that walkway and organize people." He yelled pointing at the walkway that would lead her past all of the homes before the saloon. He rounded the corner of his home and was greeted by a hail of bullets from a Chinese assault rifle and a man screaming "I found him!"

Mike was forced back behind the corner of his house, "Fuck you!" he shouted tossing a frag grenade down toward the advancing mercenary. He checked behind him and saw that Cass had already directed Jerico and Lucy in his direction.

"Hey kid, it's been a while." Jericho said as he squeezed off a few rounds into the chest of one of the Talon's. "Are these Talon boys' friends of yours?" The ex-raider asked.

"Now's not the time for sarcasm Jericho!" Lucy yelled, her gun spewing lead into a cluster of black combat armor.

"Keep firing and hold them here. If they push up past the ramp fall back to Jericho's house," He ordered. "I'm gonna go find Billy and let Deputy Steel out of the armory." He didn't wait for a response before sprinting as fast as he dared down the path that he'd sent Cass. The twisting and turning of the metal pathway made it hard to move quickly but he met up with her at the Common house as she was getting people behind the saloon for shelter.

"Cass, are you alright?" he asked slightly out of breath, she nodded still giving directions to the panicked mass of people. "Go back to the house, there's a blonde woman and a bald guy fighting, don't let them get pushed back this far. I'm going around full circle and we'll pinch them off at the entrance."

"Alright just be quick about it." She yelled at him as she helped the last person out of the house. She ran back the way she came heading toward Jericho and Lucy.

Mike sprinted as fast as his legs would carry him to the armory and threw himself against the door. It caved inward and he skidded across the floor a few feet before coming to a stop. "What the fuck are you doing in my armory shit stain?!" A fuming mechanical voice bellowed. "Get up and out before I lose my temper!"

"Deputy Steel, the commies are invading Megaton, we need your help to fight them off. They've disguised themselves in black combat armor, what are your orders sir?" Mike played the part of a prewar American soldier to make the situation fit Steel's programing. It worked like a charm because in no time flat Steel was out the door barking orders and firing bolts of green plasma at the marauders. It would've been funnier if everyone wasn't in danger.

Mike ran outside to the railing; he was now directly across from the gate and fired a full clip at the mercs who had rushed into the crater. He saw the body of doc Church and several citizens down by the entrance of the clinic. "You fucking bastards!" Mike screamed which attracted most of their attention.

Billy Creel showed up beside the livid courier firing his .44 scoped revolver, "Go get Moria before they get to her!" he ordered. "I'll keep an eye on the gate." He said with a grin. If he wasn't so angry Mike might have laughed at the silly joke. Billy had lost his right eye fighting raiders a long time ago. They were the same raiders that he fought when he found and rescued Maggie. He made light of it all the time with jokes and puns, but now was not the time to be laughing.

Four of the scumbags were outside of Moria's shop, Craterside supply; but there was no direct path down to the store. So Mike jumped from the railing through the air and onto the platform below. He aimed for something soft and fleshy to cushion his fall. Gravity took care of the rest and he felt a spine break under his boot. Continuing his attack he rolled to his feet swinging his battle rifle like a bat. The stock smashed into the head of a man standing in front of him; two down two to go. He rolled to his left around the corner of the store, away from the hail of assault rifle fire. He paused and then rounded the corner; revolver in hand he snapped off two quick shots and put bullets between the eyes of the attackers.

He picked up his battle rifle and killed three more that were standing on the roof of the clinic. He heard something behind him and spun around just in time to see a merc lunge at him with a combat knife. The merc had made it all the way up to the water processing plant and had run out of ammo. So he tried to surprise Mike by coming up behind him. The only thing that had saved Mike from being used as a pincushion was the fact that they were both walking on metal in combat boots.

Mike was tackled to the floor and rolled around struggling for control. Pinned on his back with the combat knife pointed at his heart; his foe used all of his weight to push it down. No matter how hard he pushed back, the knife kept descending towards his chest. It slipped between the plates of his armor and Mike felt warm blood flowing across his chest. The merc started laughing but was silenced by a shotgun blast that caved in the right side of his head. Mike rolled the limp body off of him and pulled the knife out from between the plates.

Moria appeared at his side, "It's a good thing I showed up when I did huh? You've been back less than twenty four hours and you're already flirting with death." She jabbed a stimpak and some med-x where the wound was. "Now get back up! They're still here!"

"Thanks Moria." Mike grunted as he stood up, grabbing his battle rifle he walked over to the railing and, ignoring the pain that the recoil caused, fired another clip into the cluster of enemies that had climbed down into the crater. He descended onto the roof of the clinic ready to pinch the invaders off at the bottle neck that the entrance created. Now came the hard part; Talon Company had the high ground and Mike had to push them out. Having only two directions to go and backwards not an option, he fired the last four shots in his revolver hitting three in the chest. He hit one merc in the knee blowing the leg off and sending him rolling head over heel screaming down into the crater. He ducked behind the ramp to the top of the clinic to reload his revolver when the gunfire stopped. He peeked back out of cover and his heart sank. Commander Jabsco and seven Talon company mercs had Lucy and Cass at gunpoint.

"I've got to say Mike I'm impressed, we came here thinking this would be easy. Then you cut down half my men without so much as a scratch on the chest." Jabsco yelled down from the front gate. "I'll tell ya what, if you drop by the scrap yard south of Minetown by this time tomorrow…I'll let 'em go. And don't think about ridin' in guns a blazin', because they won't be there, they'll be back at our place waitin' for the word, that the Lone Wanderer's turned himself in." Mike was cornered with no way out of this mess. "One more thing, if I so much as think you're following us, I'll bring your girlfriends pretty little head right to your front door." He left Megaton with the rest of his men yelling, "Twenty-four hours Mike, the choice is yours!"

Mike sat in stunned silence for a moment before he heard someone grunt in pain. He followed the noise down to the center of the crater and saw the one legged man reaching for his rifle. Mike stood up and walked down into the crater, making the dying man scramble for his weapon. He raised his revolver and instead of blowing the mercs brains out like he wanted to, he shot the rifle rendering it useless.

The one legged man spat definitely, "You think you scare me, ha!" but his eye's betrayed him. He was terrified of the killing machine in front of him and Mike knew it. He started to speak but was cut off by the butt of a revolver Mike pistol whipped his across the temple. Everyone was staring at Mike as he ran to his vertibird and came back with a knee plate and a blow torch. He turned on the torch and heated the plate to a nice healthy orange glow. Then he cauterized the stump where his leg was severed, stopping the blood flow.

Billy made it down to where Mike was working and asked, "You think you can actually get some answers outta this prick?"

"That's what I intend to do." Mike said coldly. "And if not I'll track Jabsco back to his little hole in the ground." He grabbed the unconscious man by his shirt collar and dragged him up the hill to his home. Dropping him in front of his door, "Billy…I need you to stay here and make sure he doesn't go anywhere, I'll be right back."

Mike ran toward Lucy's house and found Jericho, who was barely conscious, with a four bullet holes in his stomach. He was slumped over two dead bodies, one with a hole in its head and the other with a knife in it's throat. He was wheezing for breath but managed to choke out, "I'm sorry kid, I shoulda' seen it coming." He passed out and went limp. Mike worked as quickly as he could to patch up Jericho's stomach with a doctors bag. Then he dragged the ex-raider back to his home. He had plans and none of them included turning himself in.

"Ok Billy, go find Simms and-"

"Simms is dead." Billy said a single tear in his eye. He and the sheriff had become close friends due to their children playing together all the time. "Stockholm, Doc Church, Deputy Weld," he continued but Mike wasn't listening. He was in shock that his home had been destroyed and his friends killed. All because he came back to spend the night; everyone would want him dead for this.

He looked past Billy and saw one of the mercenaries who was responsible for all the death and destruction. "Billy, we need to gather the wounded in the center of the crater. I'll fix 'em up before dealing with the trash." He gestured towards the unconscious man beside the door to his home.

* * *

High above the wastes flew a vertibird much like the one the Courier had flown out of the Mojave. On the tail was the emblem of the Guardians; a frontal profile of a cazador wearing a combat helmet. There were two battle rifles crossed underneath its stinger and two revolvers crossed above the helmet.

"Mammas don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys." A pair of Guardians started singing in unison from the passenger area of a UMA vertibird.

"Dammit you two, I said pick a different song!" Mitch yelled from the pilot seat, causing a bout of laughter from Neil and Ashley.

"Cuz I got spurs that jingle, jangle, jingle." Neil started off the song.

"Jingle Jangle." Ashley sang filling in the chorus.

"That's more like it, one mile out till we find the Couriers bird…eta about one minute thirty seconds. Hold on! I'm getting something on the radio." Mitch yelled for them to be quiet.

"…On Megaton this morning. That's right children, the lone wanderer's been back for less than twenty four hours and trouble's already finding him. He may have saved the town, but he was also the cause of the massacre that Talon Company carried out…that's all for now. Stay strong children, and help out the survivors of Megaton if you can, now time for some music." A song started playing and Mitch turned off the radio.

"Am I the only one thinking that this 'Lone Wanderer' might also be the Courier?" Ashley asked, voicing what they were all thinking.

"Maybe, we can't rule anything out until we find him though." Mitch concluded. "Holy shit I might have found Megaton; town gate's been blown to pieces and I have eyes on the Couriers vertibird. Prep to drop you two, we're landing."

Neil and Ashley stood up and checked over their gear making sure they had everything and it was all strapped down tight. "Dirt in five seconds!" Mitch called back.

"And that song ain't so very far from wrong." Ashley mumbled under her breath as the back hatch opened up as the vertibird touched down in front of Megaton.

Neil and Ashley jumped out of the bird with weapons raised and crouched back to back. They were waiting for Mitch, who would cut the engines after he landed the bird and lock it down tight. Being out in the open was not a Guardians strong suit; they were trained to hide in plain sight. This was definitely plain sight, but there was nowhere to hide out in the open like this.

The engines turned off and as the back ramp retracted Mitch locked down the vertibird lest someone find their way into it. "Alright this looks like Megaton, I'll take the lead, you two keep your eyes peeled." Mitch said as he strapped on his helmet. "Let's find our Courier."

* * *

"I'll ask one more time." Mike said through clenched teeth as he picked up a bat. "WHERE!" he swung the bat into the captives exposed ribs causing a sickening wet crack. The man with the missing leg howled in pain. Mike had been 'questioning him' for an excruciating three minutes. "IS!" Another swing and another howl. "SHE!?" A final swing broke the rib cage.

Blood was coughed up and sputtered out, "F-fort B-b-banister…" the merc finally choked out.

"Good! Now I can put my bat away." Mike said in a false comforting tone as he tossed the bat backwards over his shoulder. "Now for a few more questions, how many men do you have stationed there?" He asked looking into the eyes of his prisoner. When he was met with silence he yelled "Jerico!"

"It's about time kid," Jerico said from his seat on the bottom steps of the stair case. "I was getting jealous watchin' you have all the fun." He stood up holding a length of rebar from a super mutants club. He walked slowly forward dragging the rebar on the metal floor, causing a dull screeching noise.

"You'll need the torch," Mike pointed at the tool he used to cauterize what was left of the man's leg earlier. "I want that rebar nice and orange before you get goin'." The sound of a vertibird made Mike stop in his tracks. "Jerico we have company, I'll go greet them, and in the mean time I want you to keep our guest busy."

The screams of pain rang throughout the house and echoed through the town. The people of Megaton were horrified by the noises coming from the house. The boy that showed up one morning fresh out of the vault had left the Capitol wasteland and had returned a heartless wastelander.

The door of his house opened and the Courier appeared clad in full armor; battle rifle in hand he caught a glimpse of the vertibird right before it dropped outside the walls. 'Son of a bitch' the Courier thought, 'they found me…or tracked me.'

* * *

"Nice place." Neil commented looking around. "It's not too flashy and…is that a NUKE?"

"Yeah looks like it. I wouldn't worry though, the town looks like it's been here for a while. It's probably a two hundred year old dud anyway." Ashley dismissed Neil's outburst.

"The place could do without the dead bodies and blood pools though." Mitch grunted. As a Guardian he had carried out covert operations; however he was a natural born leader and had served on the front lines as a squad commander during the UMA's war with the NCR. During that time he'd experienced first-hand all of the horrors that war had to offer and became numbed to carnage. He struggled with extreme PTSD for almost a full year after the war and was only just recovering thanks to Dr. Usanagi and her therapy sessions. He had come with Neil and Ashley because the Courier was one of his closest friends.

A man wearing an eye patch was walking towards the trio, his palm on his revolver and a cautious look in his eye. "Are you with Mike?" He asked. "If you are we could use your help."

"Who's Mike?" Neil asked confused.

"He was wearin' the same armor you've got, and carrying the same guns; I thought you might know him. Name's Billy Creel, but you can call me Billy." He held his hand out towards Mitch who was closest.

Removing his helmet and tucking it into the crook of his left arm he gave the hand a firm grasp and replied in a friendly manor, "I'm Mitch, nice to meet you Billy. Did Mike fly in on that bird?"

Then they heard the screams echo throughout the town. "What the fuck is that?" Neil whispered to himself as the cries of agony continued. Then Neil noticed some of the town's folk peeking out of their homes at the three; they were hiding.

"I thought you boys could read."

"You know I have trouble with big words sir." Mitch replied with a grin as he turned to find the Courier dressed in nothing more than his pants and combat boots. What he saw shocked him to say the least; the Courier's arms and torso were covered in blood. He had a feral look in his eyes that unnerved the three Guardians.

"I'm glad you came, I have a mission for us and I should have the last of the intel in a minute or two. Oh, call me Mike by the way." With that he turned on his heel and walked off to one of the buildings. "Billy fill them in on what happened this morning, tell them everything." He called back before disappearing around the corner of a building.

"Was that him?" Ashley asked not believing what she'd seen, but her question was met with silence. Billy explained to the trio the events that had taken place that morning, how many of the people were slaughtered and how it had affected Mike, aka the Courier, who had locked himself in his house with a prisoner to 'question him'.

* * *

"Hey kid, after you left I used some of my charm and he sang like a bird. Fort Bannister is old world military base about two miles west from here and north of Evergreen Mills. The buildings ain't there no more so they all camp down in the basement. There's about thirty of the fuckers so you'll have to hit 'em hard and fast." He lit up a cigarette. "I couldn't get him to give me anything on the layout of the place, but you've been in plenty of those old tunnels so you'll figure it out."

He fixed his eyes on Mike in a cold stare, "I know you're goin' after _your_ girl, but you'd best rescue Lucy too…she don't deserve to die down there." With that he walked out of Mikes house. Mike kicked over the broken man who was sobbing quietly, his body writhing from the pain radiating in every nerve ending from his head to his toes. Broken and battered, he was a quivering mess that would never recover.

Mike went to one of the storage lockers beside the exit and rummaged through the contents. He retrieved an old 9mm pistol and a box of ammo. He plucked one round from the box and dumped the rest back into the locker before slamming it shut. He crouched down in front of the husk of a person, never taking his eyes off the others face, he made a show of loading the single round into the pistols chamber. He pulled the slide back, chambered the round, flicked off the safety, and pulled back the hammer.

"This is more than you deserve, but you've given me what I asked for…now I'm returning the favor." Dropping the gun in front of the prone figure he slashed the rope that kept the mercs arms restricted. He had purposefully left one arm completely unscathed for just this reason. The Courier snatched up the other half of his armor and walked out of his home. With his hand on the door knob he said just loud enough for the merc to hear, "Don't miss…" then made his exit.

Before he left Megaton Mike radioed the Brotherhood from his vertibird. He told them what had happened and convinced Sarah to send a vertibird CASEVAC the citizens that needed immediate medical attention. He talked to the scribes and they gave him all the information on Fort Bannister that they had. They did not disappoint him, with a top to bottom layout of the compound before the war, but most of the top schematics were useless if the buildings were gone. If the other buildings in the Capitol Wasteland were anything to go by the fort was most likely reduced to its underground substructure. The four Guardians gathered outside the gate to Megaton.

"We're heading west to Fort Bannister, that's where they've made their home; and that's where they'll die." Mike growled with a dull rage. His mind was still clouded with blood lust for the men that had taken Cass. He had one thought on his mind, and that was how to take Jabsco alive.

He took point and got about ten feet before Mitch grabbed his shoulder plate and spun him around. "What are you doing?" he yelled right in Mikes face. "What the FUCK did you do to that man back in town, huh?!"

Mike was about to speak but was cut off again by Mitch. "Back during the war with the NCR we'd be banished from the Guardians if we did that shit. Only animals and raiders stoop that low." He screamed in Mikes face. He stopped yelling and growled, "They took Cass and I understand that you're angry, but you're being played by them. This is exactly what they want; for you to be so focused on revenge that you become blind to everything else."

"We are going to their headquarters, and if you think we can just sneak in like any other infiltration you are dead wrong. If you don't clear your fuckin' head, you'll get us all killed. So take a minute and think; think like them because you're the only one of us whose fought them before."

"He's right boss man; I got no idea what we're walkin' into." Neil added. "You haven't told us jack about them. What they're packing, how many of them there are, how they fight…nothin'."

"I fought beside you once," Ashley reminded Mike. "The mission was to _rescue_ POW's that were being _tortured_." She gripped her rifle till her knuckles turned white. With a wild look in her eye she snarled, "You told me that anybody who can do that…to another human being, should be put down like a rabid animal; and if you were anyone else that's just what I'd do."

Neil put his hand on her shoulder, "Easy Ash," Neil and Ashley had worked side by side throughout the entire war with the NCR; and you'd be hard pressed to find a stronger relationship.

"Ash is right Mike, back there in the town; I've never seen that side of you. Is that who you were before you came to the Mojave?"

Mike was silent for a moment; his expression had changed from angry determination to tired exhaustion, like a soldier who had just returned from battle. "We came out here to find who I am. We also came because Cass and I need a place to put down roots, a fresh start where nobody knows who we are…Cass is pregnant…" That shocked all three of the Guardians; it also explained Mike's excessively violent reaction. They had seen it as an attack on a simple wasteland town that Cass and the Courier had stopped in for the night.

"For the past three weeks I've been looking at places in the Mojave to live, and none of them fit the bill. That town behind us, that's my home town where I lived for years. Never had any major raider attacks, it gets a lot of traffic from the local caravans, the area's under Brotherhood protection; a perfect place to raise a family…and they came and destroyed it. They've taken that future from me."

Mitch was the first to break the silence, "That doesn't excuse what you've done…this is the last time I'll fight with you. After we rescue Cass and the other girl they took, I'm going back to the Mojave." With a tear in his eye he dawned his helmet.

Mike looked at Neil hoping for an answer, "Well boss man, you know you can count on me." He said with a smirk which was covered by his helmet. "What about you Ash, are you with us?"

"Cass has been like a big sister to me since the war…so yes, I'm helping you rescue her." She said. "After all, we're Guardians; rescue missions are in the job description." She sealed her helmet.

"I'm glad it was you three that came after me. I couldn't think of any squad better to handle this mission." Mike fit his helmet over his head and started walking west. "So here's what I know already."

**Outskirts of Fort Bannister**

The sun had just set when the four saw a chain link fence that stretched around the fort. Taking out a pair of binoculars Mitch scanned the fence, "There's an opening on the south side. There's guard towers on either side, standard set up with sandbags and sheets of rusted metal. It looks like there's a guard in both of 'em…can't see too far into the camp though."

Mike pulled out his binoculars and gave the camp a once over. The he looked directly west. "There's a radio tower up on that hill, if the schematics are right the barracks and the communication center are directly below; I want to avoid that if possible." There was a moment of silence as Mitch and Mike surveyed the camp.

"I think we should swing far left around the camp and get on top of that hill." The hill was a large mound of exposed bedrock covered in gravel and loose stones. "We'll get a bird's eye view of the camp and find the cleanest route of attack." Neil proposed, "What do ya think boss man?"

Mike thought for a minute, "Neil and Ashley, I want you two on top of that hill. Ashley I need you to clear a path for us into the CO's quarters. I packed some charges into this bag Neil." Mike handed a small backpack to Neil. "It's the good stuff; the intel the Brotherhood gave me showed air vents that sit right on top of the barracks, so before we leave give 'em a few farewell presents."

Neil was slack jawed at what was in the bag. "How the fuck did you get your hands on this?" He held one of the bricks of explosives up to show the other two. "This will bring down a mountain." A grin split the ordinance operator's face. "Looks like Christmas came early." The rest couldn't help but chuckle at Neil's excitement.

"Mitch you're with me."

"So boss, how ya gettin' in?" Neil asked still looking at the compound. "That place is locked up tighter than a New Vegas virgin."

"Well I figure Ashley can clear a path through some of the guards inside the camp with her rifle." Mike squinted at the south entrance, "Looks like we'll have to take out the sentries first. Alright, you two get into position and let us know when you're ready."

* * *

"Guardian one, do you copy?" Neil's voice crackled into Mikes ear over the COM line. "We're in position and have a bird's eye view of the camp."

"Tell me what you see, how many and what they're packing." Mike asked back into the COM. He was silent a moment before leaning towards Mitch, "There's about half a dozen guards around the tented area and a mister gutsy patrolling the perimeter of the fence."

"Doesn't sound too hard getting in," Mitch sighed, "but I've got a bad feeling about what's crawling around in the basement." Mitch pulled out a stealth boy, "We go in quiet. You take the guard on the left; I've got the one on the right."

"Sounds good to me," Mike said taking out his own stealth boy. He said into the COM, "Ash, we're takin out the sentries. Let me know if it's going to get messy." Mike and Neil crouched and crept towards the guard posts to begin the infiltration of Fort Bannister.

Mike and Mitch decided it was a smarter idea to get underground as fast as they could rather than be discovered above and risk the entire point of the operation. After dispatching the sentries Ashley informed them that there was a staircase fifty meters to the east of the gate entrance. After hiding the bodies as best they could they said their farewells to the pair on top of the hill and descended into the heart of the fort.

* * *

Mike took point and Mitch covered their rear, "I hate these narrow hallways." Mike said through gritted teeth wiping blood of his combat knife and onto the dead bodies pant leg.

"Mother fuckers are coming outa the walls." Mitch whispered, "How close are we anyway?"

"See that doorway up ahead." Mike pointed with the clean blade. "That's the CO's quarters according to the layout of the base, and that's where he's keeping Cass." He shoved the blade back into the sheath and pulled out his revolvers. He nodded at Mitch to draw his shot gun, they were going in loud.

As they approached the door Mitch spotted a terminal, "Hold up. Let me see if I can get anything off this." He typed in a few passive commands to avoid detection. "This terminal is connected to a defense network with some big guns, I could reverse their programing to open fire on the room or shut them down."

"Shut them down, if they open fire Cass might be hit." Mike said gripping his revolvers tighter.

"Roger that…turrets are down…"

Mitch's voice seemed to tune out of focus as Mike thought about what he would do to Jabsco when he got his hands on the son of a bitch. His train of thought was snapped back into place when Mitch got in front of him, "Mike did you hear me? We can't go in without complete focus on what we're dealing with so snap out of it. There are three guards on our level and a forth on the bottom with Jabsco. The two VIP's are tied to the catwalks support beam that runs above the bottom level." Mitch summarized the final stage of the infiltration. "It looks like the best plan of attack would be to take out the two closest to the VIP's first and deal with the three on top after. Ready?"

"Sounds good to me. Alright, on my mark; three, two, one, mark."

As soon as the metal doors slid open the Guardians rushed into the room. Mitch fired a blast from his shotgun and hit Jabsco in the stomach. Mike fired both revolvers at the same time, the bullets finding nice warm homes inside the guards head and chest. With the bottom level taken care of and the element of surprise lost the three other guards opened fire.

Mike fired the revolver in his right hand and hit one square in the chest, but before he could line up another shot a .556 round mangled his left hand. He cried out in pain but the noise was covered up by the gunfire. Mitch fired another blast and blew through the flimsy combat armor killing guard number two. The pair were forced behind cover but not before Mitch caught a round in the side. Mike snapped off the last four shots blindly from behind his cover in the direction of his target. The gunfire stopped and Mike peeked out to find that lady luck was on his side, a bullet had hit home in the forehead of the last mercenary.

With all threats eliminated Mitch got in a defensive position at the door while Mike vaulted over the railing and rushed to Cass and Lucy. Cass had her hands bound behind her back and was unconscious. Lucy was in much worse shape.

"Cass! Cass it's me." His voice thick with emotion, "I'm gonna get you outa here." He cut the bindings as tears of both relief and sorrow ran down his face. He then cut Lucy loose, "Lucy I'm getting you out of here and bringing you back to Megaton."

There was a loud beeping sound followed by an automated voice, "Missile armed, running final diagnostics, missile launching in T minus three minutes." Mike looked to find Jabsco had hit a big red button then slumped over a control panel.

Mike marched over and threw him to the ground, "What did you do?!"

Jabsco laughed but started coughing up blood, "It's launching and there's nothing you can do to stop it. Not without the command code. It'll land right on top of the Citadel and wipe the Brotherhood out of the picture." He had a sadistic smile plastered on his face. "Did you think that this is the only Talon Company base; we have outposts like this one all over the east coast. You haven't done more than scratch us."

Mike put a knee on the commander's chest and leaned over his body, "I don't care if you're based all across the country," his voice was dripping with venom, "I will destroy you if it's the last thing I-"His breath caught in his throat when he felt something stab into his chest, between his ribs and into his lung. He looked down and saw Jabsco's hand holding the combat knife that was buried in his chest. Before he could act the knife twisted and made the wound ten times worse.

"Then letting you live isn't an option. Good luck surviving this one kid…" Jabsco's eye's glassed over and his body went limp.

Mike stood and staggered a few steps and looked down at his side. There was a combat knife buried to the hilt in his side. He pulled it out and jammed a stimpack in the hole to stop the bleeding.

"Mitch, get down here!" Boots hit the ground and rushed to Cass and Lucy. Mike managed to make it to the console and then tried everything he knew in an attempt to disarm the missile. Nothing worked. He needed the code but Jabsco had taken it to the grave. Mike looked back over his shoulder at Mitch who was working like a mad man to stabilize Cass. Lucy was now lying dead on the ground in a pool of blood. A lump caught in his throat as he remembered all the time he'd spent with her in Megatons saloon. Everything she'd taught him and all the laughs they had shared over drinks. When he uncovered the truth about what happened to her family she broke down in tears. He held her tight all night long while she sobbed into his chest until she cried herself to sleep in his arms. 'I'm sorry Lucy…I wasn't fast enough…I failed you.' He thought as a tears continued to roll down his cheeks under his helmet.

Cass was still unconscious and wounded so badly that they couldn't move her without killing her. Everything that Mike had planned for fell apart all at once. His future with Cass would never come to fruition. His home was destroyed and his friends and loved ones killed as a result. His brothers and sisters in steel would soon be dead unless he thought of something.

Like a light bulb turning on in the darkness he heard his father's voice echo in his mind. 'I am Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End.' He typed in a few commands and found what he was looking for. He knew how to stop the missile from launching.

"I am Alpha and Omega." He said under his breath.

"What?"

Mike turned to Mitch and took off his helmet, "I've got good news and bad news. I can stop the missile, but Jabsco got me good, I won't make it out of here alive."

"And the good news is?"

"That was the good news. Bad news is that the missile can only be controlled from this station, I'm staying behind to detonate it."

There was a moment of silence between the two. Mitch was the first to break the silence. "I am not leaving you two here to die." His stated defiantly. "I've lost too many friends; I can't make it out by myself with this hole in my side so I'm staying." He opened his duster revealing blood running all down his left side.

Mike held his gaze for a moment longer before noise erupted from the hallway that they came through; mostly gunfire and shouting.

"FUCK!"

"Shut up and run!"

"We wouldn't have to if you held your fire!"

"You better hope they're alive down here!"

"I know they are-"

"GET DOWN!"

Neil and Ashley both dove through the doorway superman style as a missile flew just over Neils helmet. Rolling to her feet Ashley fired the rest of her magazine down the hallway.

Neil pulled out his detonator from his pocket, "EAT IT!" He pulled the trigger; there was a pause and then the biggest explosion any of them had ever felt rocked the CO's quarters. "Fuck ya!" Neil exclaimed literally jumping up and down. "That was fucking awesome!" He regained his composure and looked around, his eyes finding Mike and Mitch on the bottom level of the room.

The new arrivals descended the stairs and saw that all had not gone well with their leg of the mission either. Mike and Mitch were both fatally wounded, Cass was also wounded but unconscious, and the second VIP was dead.

"Boss…they got you." Neil stated in disbelief.

"Cass…" Ashley dropped to her knees in front of her friend and grabbed her hand. Her pulse was there but it was weak.

"What are you two doing here?" Mike demanded. "You have to leave, Jabsco armed a nuclear warhead to fire at the Citadel."

"Well then disarm it." Neil argued.

"He can't. Jabsco was the only one who's got the code we need." Mitch replied

"Then let's find him and ask him nicely."

"Knock yourself out Neil, he's right there." Mike pointed at the body.

"Oh…"

"We're going to detonate the missile in the silo to keep it from launching…you two need to leave while there's still time. You might still make it if you run-"

"NO!" Ashley yelled her voice cracking as she began to cry under her helmet. "I'm staying, I won't leave Cass here to die…I know she'd do the same for me."

"Well, guess its curtains for me too." Neil said taking off his helmet and pulling out a bottle of whiskey. He bit the cork and spit it to the ground. "Mama, don't let your babies grow up to be cowboys." He sang quietly to himself as he sat down next to Ashley and took a long swig.

"It's done Mike," Mitch had entered the command at the control station. The nuke would detonate when the timer reached zero rather than launch. "The Brotherhood's safe to fight another day…"

Mike however was not listening to anything that was happening around him. He was on his knees in front of Cass. Ashley had turned to Neil and was crying softly into his chest at the sight of her fallen friends.

"Cass." Mike whispered under his breath; fresh tears stained his cheeks. He pulled her close, "I love you so much…I love you."

"And I love you too…asshole." Cass's voice was quiet and fragile. "You came to rescue me…I knew you would." Tears brimmed in her eyes and with a slight smile she added, "You're the only one dumb enough."

"How long have you been awake?" Mike asked without breaking the embrace.

"Long enough." Cass's voice barley above a whisper

"I'm so sorry Cass."

"I'm glad you came for me…Michael." She pulled him back and into a kiss as they were engulfed in nuclear fire.

* * *

Michael cracked open his eye's. He knew the warhead had detonated, but why was he still alive. Was he alive? 'Where am I?' he thought to himself. He felt nothing as he was carried through a tunnel by an unseen force. He looked around and saw Mitch, Ashley, and Neil standing with their rifles in hand as if posing for a propaganda poster. He realized Cass was next to him, looking into his eyes with a small smile on her face. Then as suddenly as they had appeared they vanished into the misty black darkness.

'Where am I?' he thought again.

"You and your friends have been chosen." The answer seemed to come through all his senses. Michael's vision was blurred as light engulfed him. Everything turned to an endless sea of white. He turned around, or felt like he did, and saw nine humanoid shapes approaching him, all completely different from the rest.

"Chosen for what?"


	4. Chapter Four

"Chosen for what?" Mike asked to the approaching figures. He wasn't sure why he was still conscious and able to think. He had died.

"Chosen to restore balance to Nirn," explained a voice that seemed to come from a man with the head of a dragon.

"Oh please, when has Nirn been anything but chaotic?" Asked a man in white gold trimmed robes. He wore a large triangular pendent around his neck, a very simple yet elegant design along the three sides.

"If we don't intervene Alduin will succeed and all the races of Nirn will be enslaved to him and his followers." Argued another man with an amulet centered on an anvil. "This is your fault; you set him free without the power to control him. You know we can no longer directly intervene with the mortal plane."

"I am well aware of what my actions brought about, as I am aware of our limitations; however I have foreseen great promise in this mortal."

"You may be the Aedra that was foolish enough to dabble with something as chaotic as time but we all know you cannot see the future." Chided a woman who held a flower.

"You are correct, I cannot see the future. However this one will play a pivotal role in the return of Alduin. He is the one I have been searching for." The dragon headed man retorted.

"How much longer am I going to be kept waiting? I just want to die!" Michael shouted. He didn't have Cass beside him or his brothers in arms; he just wanted to die. All eyes turned to him

"Do you not see? He does not want to live, so allow me to help him cross over." This time an old man supporting himself with a staff spoke. His eyes were a uniform pane of white. The staff was topped with an eight pointed star.

"He believes he is hallucinating because we are not part of his world." The flower woman spoke.

"He does not see us for what we are…"

"Oh for the love of-"Michael pulled out his revolver, put it to his temple, and pulled the trigger. His hand closed on itself. The revolver was no longer in his hand but back in the holster. "What the fuck?" Michael muttered in disbelief. "So I'm trapped listening to you fuckers argue for the rest of…fuck."

"…Than I will make him see." The dragon headed man reached out and touched his thumb to Michael's forehead, melding his mind with the Aedra's. Memories of thousands of years of watching Nirn flooded into Michaels mind.

He was not dead. He wanted nothing more than death, but he was not dead. "Why are you keeping me from death?" Michael pleaded. "I just want to see Cass again." Tears brimmed in his eyes. "Why?"

"I have foreseen the return of Alduin-"

"Once again, your fault."

"-and you are the catalyst I have been searching for."

"I. Don't. Want. To. Live." Michael growled through his teeth. "I've lost the only people I care about." A tear slid down his cheek.

"Are you all too blind, deaf, and dumb?" A woman in golden robes walked from behind Michael. Reaching out and wiping away his tear. With an angelic voice she whispered, "His heart is broken…and there is only one way to fix it. Arkay, I believe you know what must be done."

"Indeed I do!" The old man yelled, "But that doesn't mean I'll do it!" He pointed his staff at the woman in golden robes. "I am not at your beck and call whenever a loved one dies!"

"Will you do it?"

"Oh for the love of," He mumbled "Boy! Come here." He waved Michael over with his hand.

"You're the one who's in charge of the dead? Can you speed it up; I'm getting tired of this bullshit."

"You and me both," He grumbled. "The four that you died with will be brought with you to Nirn," he looked over his shoulder at the dragon headed man, "IF you accept. Cass, Mitch, Ashley, and…" His brow scrunched up in thought. He muttered to himself for a time. "What was the other one's name again?" He asked Mike.

"Neil."

"AH, yes, of course it is." He straightened himself on his staff. "Cass, Mitch, Ashley, and Neil will all be brought to Nirn with you if you choose to accept Akatosh's offer." He turned himself to the woman in gold, "Very well Mara, it will be done." As he walked away he grumbled quietly, "I'm getting too old for this."

"What offer…?" Michael asked hesitantly. If they had sent him to Nirn without the mention of Cass and his friends it would only be a matter of time until he found a rock sharp enough to kill himself with.

"Your lover and your friends will be sent along with you to Nirn to handle the return of Alduin." The dragon headed man stated matter-o-factly.

"Mitch and Cass are both on their death beds and-"

"I suppose I am to negate the life threatening wounds on these three as well?" Arkay asked holding his head in his hands.

"If you can do it."

"OF COURSE I CAN." He roared, "I am the god of LIFE and DEATH. I control the passing of souls everywhere." He seemed to lose his steam, "Very well…they will arrive unharmed and healed." Then in a condescending tone, "Can I get anything else for you Mara?"

A small smile tugged the corners of Mara's mouth, "Thank you Arkay, you have done more than asked. You have my thanks."

"Whatever." Arkay replied before vanishing.

"So…I'll see Cass again?" Hope flickered across Michaels face, but it slid off as quickly as it had arrived. "What about our-"

"She is with child." A smile spread across the golden robed woman's face. "I can assure you that no harm will come to the unborn, and you will have my blessing when the time comes for the child to arrive."

Michael could feel the warmth of happiness radiating off of her. "Thank you." He muttered out in a whisper as tears of relief slid down his face. He and Cass could finally settle down. He and Mitch could finally put down their weapons and hang up their armor. He took a big breath to clear his head. Turning to Akatosh he declared, "If it means I can see Cass again, as well as my friends. What would you have me do?"

Akatosh smiled, or at least Mike thought it was a smile, "Time will tell."

* * *

There was a blinding flash of light followed by a sense of weightlessness. Mitch's side was on fire. He rolled over and felt for the gunshot wound but found nothing but dried blood.

"MITCH!" he heard Ashley scream his name. "Neil I found him!"

"Where?!"

"Over here dummy!"

Mitch felt Ashley's hand on his side, "You're not bleeding?" She asked clearly confused.

Getting to his feet, "Nope, no gunshot wound, just a lot of dried blood." He took in his surroundings. "Where are we…?"

Fully grown trees and bushes surrounded them; a squirrel was jumping from tree to tree and paused to look at the three; a small creature with long ears bounced out of a bush grabbed a few berries and scurried back into the brush.

"Well," Neil said looking all around him, "We're not in Kansas anymore that's for sure." He slung his rifle around his back, "I'm gonna do some recon and scout out a perimeter. Ash I want you to hold up here with Mitch until I get back, both of you keep your coms open."

"Why do I have to babysit him?" Ashley demanded, "Why can't I scout a perimeter."

"Because he's a Desert Ranger with almost ten years more experience than you." Mitch countered.

"Fine," Ashley relented, "Let's get into some cover, or at least not out in the open. Neil, good luck."

"I don't need luck Ash, you know me."

"Yeah she does; that's why she's saying it." Mitch said with a smirk.

He shook his head, "I'll be back in two hours, you two stay put." He ordered as he disappeared into the brush.

The two sat in silence for almost five minutes before Mitch sighed and asked, "Am I dead?"

"Nope, we're still alive, somehow. Neil and I've been looking around for the better part of a day to try and figure out where we are." Ashley responded taking out her water canteen. "Neil says we're in Canada…I think he's full of shit, but I don't have a better answer so for now,"

"We're in Canada."

"Yup." Ashley replied as she held her rifle loosely in her arms. "He said that Canada didn't get hit because there's nothing to bomb but trees." She cocked an eyebrow and looked at Mitch.

"Fuckin' Canada."

* * *

With one last heave Neil pushed himself up and over another boulder. He had crossed the tree line and was into the snowy peaks that looked over valleys and rivers below. He sat down to catch his breath and looked to the east as the sun was setting behind him.

What he saw rendered him speechless. In the distance he saw snowcapped mountains and forests; he saw a great stone fortress off in the distance. He scanned to his left and did a double take fast enough to make his neck stiff. There was a massive natural stone archway that stretched across the rivers end with a castle on one end and a city on the other. He took off his helmet to make sure he wasn't seeing things.

"Canada."

He heard noise coming from over the other side of the peak. He looked down over the edge at a small village. There were children running through the streets, men were chopping wood at a lumber mill, guards were at their posts on either ends of the town. He made a mental note to check out the town after he was finished with his recon.

Neil pulled his helmet back on and completed running a perimeter, but didn't find anything else in the mountains.

* * *

"There's a town." Neil said stepping through the bushes back into the clearing where Mitch and Ashley were. "And there are people in the town. It actually looks like a nice place; it's got guards and everything."

"Canada?" Mitch asked not bothering to sit up. Dusk had fallen on the forest and with it the night sky was pulled over the canopy like a blanket. "Does Canada have that?" Mitch pointed to the sky.

Neil didn't have to follow his finger far; a massive moon and some kind of glowing colored clouds that were waving like a flag in the wind.

"Let's get to that town and ask around, see if we can find out where we are." Mitch suggested. "But first I want to do a supply count; see what we've got to work with."

"I've got my battle rifle," Neil patted the stock of his weapon that was slung over his back, "with ten magazines and a full ammo belt."

"Any explosives?"

"Who are you talking to again?" Neil asked with a grin. He shrugged off his utility pack and laid it down on the ground. "Five grenades, four bricks of C-4, and five fragmentation mines." He smiled proudly down at his unloaded pack.

"I wonder why you run out of food so quickly" Ashley deadpanned.

"Ash, it's your turn for show and tell." Neil teased as he reassembled his utility pack.

"I've got my sniper rifle with nine magazines, my silenced .45 with six magazines, and a full ammo belt for each. I've also got two claymore mines."

"Alright, I've got my shotgun, a full ammo belt, three grenades, and a silenced 12.7mm pistol with four magazines." Mitch summarized his gear.

"I still can't believe you put a silencer on that hand cannon," Neil joked. "Muffling that beautiful explosion should be against the law."

"Well explosions give away the element of stealth. I like to avoid making noise." Mitch stowed his gear in his pack. "Alright, let's go make nice with the locals."

* * *

"Ash you've got a good view of the town?" Neil asked into the short wave radio.

"As good as I can get, you've got two guards at your twelve."

"Mitch you're free to go." He gave Mitch a hand signal to move into position, "Give me the signal when you've got eye's on the inn." A green light winked on Neil's HUD.

"Evening Gents!" Neil called out to the guards. He wanted them to know he was there before they saw him. He'd made first contact with enough tribals back in Utah to know that seeing a Desert Ranger in full combat gear for the first time could be a bit of a culture shock.

"Greetings traveler, what brings you to-" The guard stopped mid sentence when Neil came into view. The torch light reflected off the riot helmet's visor and gave it an eerie red glow. "What in oblivion are you!" He yelped in surprise.

The first guard half drew his sword, and a second guard had an arrow nocked on his bow string.

Neil raised his hands in a nonthreatening manner and spoke clearly, "My name is Neil, and I'm a Desert Ranger."

"Your name is Neil?" the second guard asked, unable to keep the shake from his voice.

"Yes sir."

"Is that a helmet Neil?" the first guard asked, his hand still gripping his sword.

"Yes it is, I'm going to take it off now." He said moving his hands slowly to his helmet, he flicked off the external speakers, "Ash, weapons ready."

"Got it." She replied through the COM line. Neil heard the safety flick on her rifle as he took the helmet off and tucked it under his left arm.

"By the nine," The guard laughed releasing his grip on the sword. "You almost gave me a heart attack!" The second guard held his bow loosely in his hand and slid the arrow back home into the quiver. "Now, what brings you to Dragon Bridge?"

"I'm looking for some hot food and a place to spend the night."

"Well if that's all you're looking for then you'll want to head over to the Four Shields Tavern. It's just down the road on your left, you can't miss it."

"Thank you, have a nice evening and stay safe." Neil replied.

He walked in the direction the guard had pointed him in and slid his helmet back on. "Mitch are you in position?" the green light flashed once, Mitch was in position on the roof of the inn. "Ash you're clear to move up."

"On my way, and Neil...nice work with the locals."

* * *

Michael's senses slowly started to return to him. He opened his eyes and was greeted with the sight of Cass sleeping in the chair beside the bed he lay in. She had their guns and ammo in her lap, protecting them from anyone who got too curious. He felt his side where Jabsco had stabbed him but found only dried blood.

"Cass," he croaked. "Cass, wake up." His voice was gravelly and rough.

Her eye's fluttered open as she took a second to get her bearings, "Mike?"

"Hey, can I get a cup of wa-" The wind was knocked out of him by Cass who jumped onto the bed with him.

"Mike, I was so worried, you've been out cold for a day and a half now." She pulled her head back. "Where are we?"

"Cass, I'm so glad you're alright." He held her face in his hands, "I don't know how we aren't dead. We should be by all rights, that missile was big enough to turn the Citadel into a smoldering hole in the ground."

She kissed him pulled him upright, "We're in Skyrim," Cass. "That's what Orgnar keeps telling me."

"Who's Orgnar?"

"That would be me." A large barrel chested man wearing a tan tunic with a dirty rag hanging from his belt came through the doorway. "Welcome to Riverwood friend, you've been out cold for a while." He leaned against the door frame cleaning a metal tankard with the rag, "A hunter that stops into town to trade said you came from sky on a bolt of lightning; He's always been an interesting fellow."

"He must've had one too many to drink that night." Cass countered.

"Not any of my business anyway, but now that you're awake I'll have to charge you if you're looking to stay the night again."

"We won't be staying the night; if you have a map we can look at we'll be on our way." Mike grunted as he got to his feet and began putting his armor on.

"Certainly, I'll put it out on the table for you." Orgnar said with a nod and walked out of the room.

* * *

Neil opened the door to the inn and was pleased to see people laughing, relaxing, and generally having a good time with neighbors and friends. He made his way around the fire pit in the center of the room to the bar.

"Howdy miss," Neil said not removing his helmet.

The barkeep was a woman tall brunette woman with shoulder length hair behind the bar. She had a dagger strapped to her belt and was cleaning a metal tankard. "Hello traveler what can-" She stopped mid sentence when she looked into the red eyepieces of Neil's helmet.

Her eyes went wide but Neil quickly jumped on top of the situation before it escalated. "What's your name?"

The woman was silent for a few heart beats before composing herself. "Faida's the name, I keep the inn." she replied, never breaking eye contact. "I hope you ain't here to cause trouble."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Neil did his best to assure her. "I'm hoping you can help me out, I'm looking for a place to spend the night and a guard pointed me this way."

"We've got a spare room, it's ten septims for the night."

"He also told me this was the place to go for a hot meal."

"The meals I serve here ain't what you'd call a Jarls feast, but they'll fill your belly all the same." She answered.

"Good, now there's the matter of money," Neil began but was cut off.

"If you're looking for charity then you'd best look elsewhere, I've got bills to pay and I can't very well do that if I give out free meals." She countered.

As Neil continued to barter with the woman the door opened again. Ashley had arrived with a little less trouble from the guards. She took a look around and her gaze settled on an empty table which she sat down at and watched Neil argue with a woman who most likely ran the inn. She giggled when she heard Neil try to use his charm to convince her only to have her shout some choice words at him.

"Mitch it's safe to come in now." She said into the COM line.

"But I'm having fun watching this from up here."

She looked up and had to stifle a laugh. Mitch was perched up in the rafters, but was almost invisible without the NVGs that were integrated into her HUD. "How did you get up there?"

"Someone left a window open. I figured Neil would want eye's IN the inn rather than on it, so I let myself in." Mitch replied. Ashley could almost hear the smile on his words.

Neil walked back to the table with a bottle in one hand and a bowl of stew in the other. "I had to trade an extra combat knife, but she gave me two hundred septims for it. Tell Mitch to come inside, he's probably cold."

Mitch landed noiselessly in the dark corner of the inn, beside the table Ashley was sitting at, "On the contrary it's quite warm up in the rafters."

"How'd you get in?" Neil asked surprised.

"Someone left the window open." Mitch shrugged pulling out a bottle and popping the cork.

"And I'm guessing someone's going to wonder where their drink went?" Ashley laughed.

"A strong possibility." Mitch responded taking a sip. He let out a satisfied hum, "Tastes a lot better than two hundred year old beer too!"

"I bought some stew, a bottle of mead, and a map." Neil continued as he spread out the map on the table. "We're in Skyrim, that's all I could get without coming off as a total nutcase. We're in the town of Dragon Bridge, as I'm sure you learned from the guards, and it looks like the closest city is right here." He put his index finger on a large circle in the north western most part of the map.

"Well where are we then?" Mitch asked taking a swig from the bottle of mead.

"We are right here, about a day and a half away if we stick to the roads." He said dragging his finger to the smaller X mark.

"I say we spend a day here, get some info on what we can expect on the roads, and head to the city when night falls." Ashley offered.

"Sounds good to me." Mitch agreed.

"Alright I'll go check out the room, you two work on that stew and eavesdrop on conversations." Neil said walking to the back of the inn where the rented room was.

"This is so much better than squirrel stew." Ashley fawned as she dug into the meal. "I love it here already." She muttered out through a mouthful of food.

Mitch sometimes forgot that she was still a kid. Her home had been destroyed when she was seventeen as the Legion expanded to the west and she was forced into the Mojave area to fend for herself as a caravan guard for two years. She'd joined the Guardians at nineteen and served in the NCR/UMA war almost exclusively with Neil.

Neil was twenty five and one of the last remaining Desert Rangers. His father and a few others didn't like the idea of being 'united' under a single banner and retained the title. The Courier had found Neil single handedly repelling a Legion slaver party that was attacking a new settlement a few miles up the Colorado river. Neil should have died from all the damage he'd taken. He'd joined up with the Guardians later that year, but still considered himself a Desert Ranger.

"Here," Ashley interrupted Mitch's train of thought, "You finish off the rest. I'm gonna turn in for the night." She said pushing the rest of the stew to Mitch.

"Thanks, g'night Ash."

* * *

The morning sun peeked through the window of the small room that the three guardians had shared for the night. They all had a good nights rest, probably due to the fact that they weren't camped out on the sunbaked ground of the Mojave.

"Rise and shine boys and girls." Mitch all but shouted at his two still sleeping friends.

"Fuck. Off. Mitch." Neil grumbled.

Ashley chuckled as she strapped on her combat armor. "Neil it's already nine o'clock, early to bed early to rise, leaves a man wealth and wise."

Neil grumbled something about a deathclaws ass and pulled himself off of the bed he'd slept on. He didn't know what kind of animal skin he was laying on, but it was the softest fur he'd ever felt. Even the highest quality blankets from the Mojave were still two hundred years old.

"Alright let's go make friends." Neil said reaching for his chest armor.

The sun shone brightly off the mountain tops covered in snow. The low rumble of a waterfall came from the other end of town, spinning the wheel of a sawmill. It all seemed so blissfully peaceful.

"Are you soldiers?"

The trio looked to where the voice came from. A small boy with a knife strapped to his belt was staring at them with wide eye's. Mitch and Neil exchanged looks with each other and then Ashley. Mitch bent down on one knee and took off his helmet.

"No, we're not soldiers little man, we're Guardians." Mitch grinned when the kid reached out to touch the helmet. "Pretty cool huh?"

"Ya, where did you get it?" He asked still looking at the helmet.

"My boss gave it to me." Mitch said with a smile, "Here, try it on." He put the helmet on the kids head. The look drew a laugh from Ash and Neil, the helmet was about two times too big for the kid.

"What's your name kid?" Neil asked.

"His name's Clinton," A young woman in a tattered dress said. "Is he bothering you?"

"Not at all," Mitch replied. He took his helmet off Clintons head before he could run off with it. "What's your name miss?"

"Clinton run along and patrol with Lucky." She told the boy.

"Fine, c'mon Lucky let's go."

"I'm Julienne Lylvieve, and that was my brother." She said with a smile. "He thinks he wants to be a soldier, so he patrols the town with his pet goat."

"Well he's certainly spirited that's for sure, have you-" Mitch was cut off by screaming from the north end of town.

A horse pulling a cart covered in blood was fast approaching the town. The guards managed to stop the runaway cart before it had entered into the town. The horse was spooked, it's chest was splattered with blood, and a man was being pulled from the back of the cart missing an arm and a leg. Neil was the first to arrive.

"Stormcloaks...attacked the caravan...killed everyone else...I...I'm the only one left." His chest convulsed a few times and then he was still.

"Damned Stormcloaks, how did they get this far into Imperial territory." Someone shouted from the town

"We've moved a lot of troops to the front lines recently, they're getting cocky." One of the guards mumbled

"They'll get away with it too. Bastards are probably hidden back into the forest by now." Another let out a shout of frustration.

"Who are the stormcloaks and what do they look like." Neil asked as Mitch and Ashley looked over the caravan.

"They're the damn rebels led by Ulfric Stormcloak, we think there's a small camp out in the forest somewhere but the brass won't send a scouting party. By the time we find the camp they've moved to a different location. They could be anywhere and it'd take too much man power to scout the forest for a dozen or so rebels. We try to arm the caravan guards with at least two soldiers and most of the time it's enough to keep them away."

"What do they look like." Neil growled.

The guard seemed taken aback, "They wear blue tunics over their armor. Why, are you going after them?"

"They killed these innocent people, you're damned right we're going after them!" Mitch shouted.

"Ash I want you to get moving, stay off the roads and stay out of sight. Radio in every half hour and try to trace the horse back to the scene where this went down. Mitch you're with me." Ashley took off running down the road but soon jumped into the brush.

"Mitch, equipment check." Neil turned back to the guards who were watching Neil with a mixture of surprise and curiosity. "Did you know him?" Neil asked gesturing to the man in the back of the cart.

"His name is Odfel, he ran the caravan from Solitude to Morthal, it's usually a pretty safe ride." The guard replied.

"Locked and loaded Neil." Mitch finished his run down of his equipment

"Alright, we're going after these rebels." Neil told the guard.

"What makes you think you can find them?" The guard asked clearly skeptical of these new arrivals.

"Because I'm a Desert Ranger."

"And I'm a Mojave Guardian."

* * *

THEY'RE FINALLY IN SKYRIM! Thank you to the followers of the story who put up with all the changes and the long wait. It took FOREVER, but I finally found a way to get them here that didn't seem like _total_ bullshit.

This chapter was focused on the three OC's because they're just so god damned fun to write. The next chapter will have more of Mike and Cass, _however_ with a baby on the way they won't be traveling and looking for trouble, they'll be trying to find a home...but you know what they say. 'Like Father Like Son' mwahahaha.


End file.
